You Are My Light
by SilverRose27
Summary: Ritsu's in America for his job! How will he and Masamune cope? In this fic, they both get jealous! What will happen when Ritsu comes back? And, OH! What's happening! Whay are they in the hospital! Romance/humor/drama 5th in my 'Let Me Be The One'series
1. Chapter 1

**~Kyaaaa!~ Thanks so much for your reviews! They make me smile! Today I went home sick because—well, I was sick. I didn't really do much. I felt crappy, but I got to hang out with my baby cousin, he's sooo cute! Anyways, Angel wanted me to start again right away instead of letting you wait in suspense… Aww… **

**Disclaimer~**

Ritsu sighed heavily when he stepped off the plane. He stretched gratefully. The flight from Tokyo to New York had taken about fourteen hours and a half. He didn't really like plane rides very much. There was a creepy old guy kept watching him and licking his lips. The old guy even asked him to sit by him! He refused, leaving the creepy old guy scowling.

"Why do I attract to much unwanted attention now?" He muttered under his breath.

"Because you practically scream 'uke' when you walk into the room." A voice answered him. He jumped and spun around. Behind him, coming off the plane, was a young girl. She was probably his own age or younger. She chuckled at his reaction. She had long black hair with brown bangs, slightly tanned skin, and bright blue eyes. He knew those eyes held mischief. It took a second for those words to sink in, and when they did, he fumed at the girl.

"What makes you think—"

"You were saying 'oh…Masamune! Yes!' in your sleep. And unless this 'Masamune' is a girl…"She trailed off. "Er, sorry if I'm being rude. I call 'em like I see 'em. People find it annoying…" She trailed off again, sounding sad. He felt bad.

"N-no… I was just surprised. I'm sorry if I scared you." He blushed really badly before continuing. "Y-you're right…. I-I'm…Um…M-Masamune is m-my lo-lover." She giggled. "Is something funny?" He demanded.

"N-no, haha, it's just that… You! Your face is so…so…Kyaaaa! Totallay an 'uke face'!" Ritsu blushed even more. "I-I'm sorry! Anyways, where are you headed, stranger?" He sighed and handed her the card that had his hotel info on it. He didn't know where it was.

"Oh! I'm staying there too! But I'm going there for my company, maybe you've heard of it. It's called 'Marukawa Publishing.' We're doing a merger, and I was new to one of the southern buildings, so they offered to let me come here. I hope the new boss—Onodera Ritsu, isn't a hard ass. He sounds like-oh shit, you're him, aren't you?" Ritsu laughed at her expression.

"Yeah." She extended a hand.

"Angel Hurimo. Call me Angel."

"Ritsu Onodera. You can call me Ritsu, if you want. It's nice to meet you, Angel-san." He said, taking her hand in a light handshake.

"Same to you, Ritsu-kun. Here, let's go to the hotel together. Er, I mean, I, um… N-not like that! I j-just… Fuck it! You know what I mean!"

"Yeah. Hang on; I have to wait for my friend."

"Is it that 'Masamune' guy?"

"N-no. My friend, Miko, came with me. She had to promote her store…."

"Oh. What kind of store?" Angel asked, curios. Ritsu was thankfully saved from having to answer as he caught sight of Miko.

"Hello." Miko said coolly. Ritsu wondered why she was acting coldly, and realized he was still holding Angel's hand. He blushed and quickly let go. Miko would kill him if he ruined his relationship with Masamune—or worse… _Tell him!_ If she even said they touched hands, Ritsu was sure Masamune would be on the next flight. Angel seemed oblivious to it though, and smiled at her.

"I'm Angel. You must be Miko-san! It's good to meet you! I'm going to be Ritsu-kun's co-worker for the next few weeks—"

"He's taken." Miko stated firmly, as if daring her to challenge it.

"I-I know that! He told me about Masamune a minute ago."

"He did? Oh, Ritsu! I'm so proud of you! Embracing your yaoi side—"

"SHUT UP! Sh-she just asked…"

"Uh-huh…." Angel got an evil glint in her eyes and said,

"And he told me that Masamune was hot, sexy, and—"

"No I did not!" He protested.

"Oooh~ Just wait until I tell Takano-san~!" Miko squealed. She and Angel would get along just fine. Ritsu sighed. It was 8 o'clock pm New York time, but only 6 o'clock am in Tokyo time.

8888

Masamune got home and sighed. He wished Ritsu didn't have to be gone so long! They'd only moved a few of his things over. He supposed he could just move Ritsu's stuff himself, but he liked it better when he could watch Ritsu blush as he unpacked his stuff. It made him feel like it was real.

He tried to sleep, but he was having a difficult time. The bed just felt so…empty. He scolded himself for being a sap. He'd slept alone (mostly) for years! They'd only been dating for five months, and he was already feeling like he needed Ritsu to sleep. He was happy though. His Ritsu was moving in with him, and loved him back. He sighed again, realizing that he'd told Ritsu to call him when his plane landed, which would be around six in the morning. Oh well. He got up around that time anyways.

7777

**Riiiiing! Riiiiing!**—whoever it was that was calling Masamune was about to die—**Riiiing! **

**Call from: Onodera Ritsu **

"Hello?"

"Sorry for calling this early! I—"

"No, don't worry about it. I was already up."

"…No you weren't."

"And how do you know?"

"Because your voice always sounds a little scratchy when you first get up—unless you've caught a cold…. You haven't, have you?"

"No, dear." He mocked. "You sound like my wife—actually, I like it. Keep talking like that."

"Sh-shut up! I'm hanging up now!"

"No. You… I forbid you to hang up."

"Forbid it?"

"…Yes."

"….Did I really sound like a house-wife?"

"Well… yeah. But I'm just glad you care about me. Are you worried? Maybe you should come home early…"

"Baka! I just got here!"

"How was your flight?"

"I-it w-was fine…"

"You're lying." Masamune's eyes narrowed.

"N-no I'm not…"

"Don't lie to me. You suck at it anyways. Just tell me!"

"It was no big deal… There was just this creepy guy who kept watching me. It was just creepy! He licked his lips a lot and asked me to sit by him, but I said no."

"Damn it! I could be on the nex—"

"No! I'm fine! The creepy guy is gone! Just focus on your work! He didn't touch me! I'm fine, really! I even met my new co-worker, Angel. She seems nice—w-what are you doing!" Ritsu shrieked the last part. Masamune heard a crash and his heart leapt to his throat. Was Ritsu okay? Was he being attacked? Was he—

"Hi, Takano-san! I'm Angel! Guess what! Ritsu told me you were really sexy!"

"Oh, he did?" Masamune asked, surprised. He felt a grin pull at the corners of his mouth.

"I did not!" He heard Ritsu call in the background.

"Give him his phone back." Masamune said. Angel did what she was asked. She was glad she'd done it though. The seme's voice sounded sexy!

"I did not tell her that you were s-sexy!"

"Sure… Just for the record, I think you're sexy, too." Ritsu groaned/

"Masamune! It was on speaker-phone!" He heard the girls laughing.

"So? I can say whatever I please about _**my**_ Ritsu."

"B-baka!"

"Oh, Takano-san! You should get him a collar! I sell them in my stores! You can even get it engraved—" Miko began excitedly.

"Don't give him any ideas!" Masamune was about to reply, when he looked at the clock.

"Damn it! I'm going to be late. I'll talk to you later, Ritsu."

"O-okay, bye."

"I love you."

"I-I lo-love you too…"

They hung up, both feeling sad, but a bit better because they got to talk for a bit.

_Only sixteen more days…_

He remembered Ritsu saying something about that creepy guy. He hoped nobody else tried to come onto his lover….

…_I wonder how much a collar __**would**__ cost…._

**~Kyaaa!~ Haha, yay! The first chapter is done~! I know it starts a bit slow… But don't worry! It gets better! I still feel like crap, but I wanted to post this anyways!**

**Question of the day: I know that I skipped over their first Christmas, Masamune's Birthday, and Valentine's Day, so would you like me to write a short collection of one/two-shots about each holiday?**

**Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**~Kyaaaa!~ Okay, I wrote the the first part of the fic I said I would write that's about the first few holidays they spent together. The fic is called 'Early Lovin'**

**Today sucked. I feel like crap, but I had to go to school**

**Whilst at school, one of my teachers pissed me off. It was my math teacher. It's not that she's mean, it's just… she can't teach worth crap. At least, she isn't suited to be my teacher, if that makes sense. Maybe some kids like her.**

"**+English+"**

"**Japanese"**

"**French" French will just be in French, it doesn't need special marks…**

**Disclaimer!**

**Oh, before I forget, I'm going to make a reference to Valentine's Day, but I haven't written that part of 'Early Lovin' yet, sorry! But I will, I promise!**

Ritsu yawned. He was tired. He'd finally completed nine days in America! It was tough at first. On his first day, people ignored him mostly. Then, when Marco announced that he was the boss, everyone seemed to either try to kiss-up to him or cower in fear. It felt strange. He wondered if Masamune had felt the same when he took over the Emerald Department. He tried to imagine it, but he couldn't see Masamune feeling this flustered. He also couldn't really see any of his co-workers kissing-up or cowering unless they were joking. He didn't show it on the outside (at least, he hoped not), but he was nervous.

He felt strange, having so much power over these people. It wasn't really a bad thing, but he didn't like it when people looked at him fearfully. He set them straight on his third day.

"+Look guys, I know you think I'm 'scary' but I'm not really such a bad guy. I just want to help you get your work done.+" Everyone had just stared, openmouthed. "+Do I look like a big tough guy?+" He sighed.

"+It's true! He's just a big softie!+" Angel giggled from behind him. He glared at her, making her cower in mock-terror.

"+As I said, stop trying to kiss-up or cower. I'm just here to do my job.+" Things got easier after that. He talked to Masamune a few more times, but not every day because of the time difference and it was hard to find time to do so when Ritsu was bust helping to set up the new business. Ari called him two or three times, letting him know that his work was taken care of and how she was doing. She and Kano of course reminded him to bring back souvenirs.

He was about to leave, when a voice stopped him.

"+Excuse me, s-sir, but I need to talk to you."

"+What is it Alex?+" He'd liked this young man. He was timid, but always polite. He spoke with a slight French accent.

"+I just wanted to thank you for helping us. You didn't have to come here, but you did. If you hadn't, today we would have been screwed without you there." Ritsu blushed slightly.

"+I'm sure it would have been fine. The other translator—+"

"+That is not what I was talking about. You always seem to know how everything works. You take time to help everyone, even though we all know you are always busy. You are always smiling and encouraging us, and you never yell when we mess up. You get a bit mad, but you never yell… Everyone is going to be sad to watch you go, sir." Alex blushed and met his gaze for a second. Ritsu felt warmth spread through his body. He wasn't sure about his team in the beginning, but they were great people. Alex was always polite and got his work done quietly, Angel was a ball of energy, keeping everyone smiling, Amy was a bit bossy, but she got things done, Andrew was too cocky at first, but he'd toned it down a bit, Jacques (who everyone called 'Jack' because they had a misprint on his nametag) was still a bit…well, he wasn't all that nice. At least, not to Ritsu.

"+Th-thanks, Alex. I'm not leaving for another week, you know. And you don't have to call me 'sir'.+"

"+Onodera-san, then?+"

"+You don't have to be so formal.+"

"+…Onodera-kun?+" He sensed that was probably about as close as he could get.

"+Sure.+"

"+Onodera-kun, would you like to go out for drinks with us?+" He thought for a minute. He was really tired…

"+I'm sorry, but I have to decline, Alex. I'm just too tired. I-+"

"+Oh! Please forgive me!+ Je regret! Je suis tellement stupide!" He cried, ashamed.

"Non! Vous êtes très bien! On ne pouvait pas avoir connu!" Ritsu tried.

"Merci…+You don't have to be so nice to me. I know I must get on your nerves! I'm sorry. I should have known you were tired! You've been working so hard!+"

"+Maybe I'll join you tomorrow. I-+"

"+Leave him, Alex. He's just too good to hang out with us.+" Came a slightly more accented, sarcastic voice.

"+Jack! That's not nice!+"

"+It's fine, Alex. I'm sorry you feel that way, Jack.+"

"+Like hell you are, Mr. Marukawa Golden Boy. You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for your father!+" Ritsu blinked, shocked. How did he know? Then he got defensive.

"+That's not true! I left his company! I-I got this job on my own-+"

"+Yeah, after 'daddy dearest' recommended you! If it weren't for you, I would be the editor-in-chief!+" He spat. Ritsu was surprised. He hadn't known anything about that. He realized that Alex must have fled, and it was only them left.

"+Oh… I… I'm sorry...+"

"+Yeah, well you're—wait, what?+"

"+I said, I'm sorry.+"

"+That's…that's…Damn it! I was prepared to yell at you, but now I can't! You can't just apologize like that! Now I can't yell at you!+"

"+….You are yelling…+"

"+I KNOW!+"

"+You do know that I'm leaving in a week, right?+" Jack looked stunned.

"+….What?+"

"+I'm not staying in America. I leave in a week.+"

"+But why? This is such a great job! Everyone here loves you, you get paid well, and it means you're gaining foot-holds in the company!+"

"+Are you trying to convince me to stay?+" He asked, chuckling. "+And not everyone likes me. You don't.+" To his surprise, Jack looked away and muttered,

"+I never said I didn't like you…+"

"+But… you really gave off that vibe. Whenever I asked you to do something, you'd just look away and scowl…+"

"+I…I wasn't scowling…+"

"+What do you mean?+"

"+I… I was blushing, okay! You… You're just… You're cute, you know how to do your job, and everyone loves you!+" As he said the words, Ritsu's heart sank. _Please, please don't do what I think you're going to do!_

"+Jack…+"

"+No, please listen. I… I think I might like you, so… will you… go out with me?+" _Now I feel bad…_

"+Jack… I'm sorry… I can't. I'm your boss…. And I already… have someone. He's waiting for me in Japan…+" Jack's face fell. He masked it with anger.

"+Yeah right! If you didn't want to, you could have just said no!+" He yelled, storming out. Ritsu didn't go after him. He knew better. He didn't want Jack to think he still had a chance…

When he lay down in the hotel bed, he couldn't help but feel out of place. The bed seemed so big, with just him. He also felt a bit cold without Masamune there. He sighed and mentally scolded himself for being stupid. It was only nine days!

8888

Masamune was just waking up. He decided to call Ritsu, since he knew it would be around nighttime there, but not too late.

"Mm…Hello?" Ritsu's sleepy voice answered.

"Did I wake you?"

"No. I was just getting back to my hotel."

"I thought you got back around eight? It should be almost nine there."

"Yeah… One of my co-workers had an… issue. I had to talk to him."

"Was it really that bad? It's not like it was a love confession, right?" Masamune teased. "We both know how you suck at dealing with those."

"Sh-shut up!" Masamune chuckled, oblivious to the fact that he was right. "S-so anyways, how was your day—yesterday?" He almost forgot about the time difference as he desperately tried to change the subject.

"Nothing special. Moharu-sensei is being difficult as ever. I actually got off a bit early, so I decided to watch a movie. It was called '_Public Enemies'_—"

"Isn't that _my _movie?"

"Yeah. I borrowed it. Anyways, it was good."

"It's one of my favorites."

"Mm. It's one of mine, too. It said it was based on a true story, right?"

"Yeah. It's about an American gangster, John Dillinger. He actually existed. Did you know that he once escaped prison with a wooden gun? He had it smuggled in—or maybe he made it, nobody knows. He threatened to shoot, and nobody got a close enough look at it, so they thought it was real. He even had a hostage for a little bit. He made one of the guards—I think—give him his keys and… I'm sorry, I'm boring you, aren't I?"

"No. Actually, that was interesting. So, I take it you like history?"

"Well, I like some. I like American history because I like to learn about old school gangsters. I think they're cool—" He cut himself off, blushing. He sounded like an idiot. Masamune chuckled.

"Cool, eh? You're cute when you ramble on about it."

"I am not cute!" He yelled, remembering Jack's words. He still felt bad. He realized that he had literally screamed in Masamune's ear.

"Woah. What did I say? I call you cute all the time. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm sorry. I'm just tired. I'll talk to you later."

"…Okay. Love you, bye."

"Bye."

Masamune couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that Ritsu didn't say he loved him back. He shook his head. Ritsu was just tired. He knew that Ritsu loved him back. He wondered if his lover was getting sick or something. He hadn't sounded quite right on the phone. He glared at Rara, who was staying with him during Ritsu's absence. She was sitting in the chair that Ritsu always sat in when they were working on storyboards together. She huffed at him as if to say 'deal with it'. He sighed and went to his room. Sorata was laying where Ritsu used to lay, but she got up and went to the window sill.

As he lay down, he couldn't help but feel like the bed was too big and cold without Ritsu. Again.

_Only a week left to go…_

**~Kyaaaa!~ Okay, I don't know if that was good at all. I had to rush, cuz I don't know when I can update again. If it's bad, please tell me. I will redo it if you ask me! **

**Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**~Kyaaaa!~ So I know I haven't updated in a little while, which is unlike me. I always try to update every two or three days. I'm sorry! I've just been busy… and sick. Yeah, I'm not doing so great again. I didn't tell my parents yet though. I don't want them to worry. Actually, they probably wouldn't care at this point.**

**I have a general idea of how this is going to go, but I'm mostly making it up as I go. Please be kind!**

**Disclaimer!~**

_Ritsu sank to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes. Everyone just watched silently as he wept pitifully. His mother and father tried to comfort him, but they couldn't. They hadn't even known. Kisa looked at him with a mixture of sadness and pity, Hatori laid a hand on his shoulder for a little bit before he shrugged it off, and Mino looked kind of lost. Yokozawa came up to him, and he expected the man to yell. He braced himself for it, but all he said was,_

"_I'm sorry."_

_After that, he walked away. Ritsu tried to yell after him, but his throat was swelled with grief. Yokozawa was taking Sorata with him. If he took Sorata, it would mean… It would mean that this was real. Takano Masamune was dead._

_Cold._

_Still._

_Gone._

_Dead._

_He couldn't hold Ritsu anymore._

_He couldn't say the embarrassing things that made him blush and feel strangely happy anymore._

_He couldn't tell Ritsu that he loved him._

_He couldn't hear Ritsu cry and scream that he loved him too and to please come back._

_He sat there, alone, in front of the freshly dug grave. Ari and Kano gave him sympathetic looks, but knew whatever they said would fall upon deaf ears._

_The love of his life was gone._

_And nothing could ever make him whole again_

"_Why! Why, you asshole! Why did you make me love you! Why did you leave me!" He screamed at the stone. It said nothing back. It just loomed over him, taunting him with the fact that it had his lover's name, Takano Masamune, on it._

_Takano Masamune_

_A loving son and a dear friend to many. He was loved by all and he shall be missed._

_No! He was loved by me! He is mine!...Was.. No, He's mine! Why have you taken him from me? What have I done to deserve this?_

"_I love you, you bastard!"_

_I love you…._

_I love you…_

_I loved you…_

_It began to rain and the sound of the raindrops head his piteous sobbing. He glanced up to see a young couple across the street, and he envied them. You never know what you have until it's gone… He thought bitterly._

"_I should have never gone to America… if I was here, that would have never happened, and you'd still be alive… I'm so sorry…" He whispered. He remembered Ari calling him, hysterically crying. He'd left his stuff where it was and got on the first flight to Japan. But it was too late. Masamune was dead. His heart had stopped mere minutes before Ritsu had arrived at the hospital. His life was ended by a drunk driver. He'd been walking Rara, and the driver swerved… They didn't have a chance. His lover, and his dog, were gone forever._

_He was alone._

Ritsu's eyes snapped open and he let out a small cry. Tears were running down his face and he couldn't breathe. That had to be a dream! He shook his head and wiped his eyes, trying to shake that feeling. He never wanted to feel like that again. His chest ached and there was a lump in his throat. He needed to see Masamune. He needed to know if… if he was… He couldn't even think about it. He was about to get up when his phone rang.

"H-hello?"

"Ritsu, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. What is it?"

"I was just calling you because I was going to bed. You asked me to call you when I went to bed so I could wake you up. Now why are you crying?"

"I wasn't!"

"…What have I told you about lying? You're bad at it, so don't even try. Please tell me what's wrong?"

"I just… It was a nightmare. I don't want to talk about it."

"Alright… So, how is it in America?" Ritsu thought it was odd that Masamune had let it go. Masamune only let it go because Ari had told him to be careful about prodding Ritsu about things. And because something in Ritsu's voice told him that it was painful to think about. He wished that he could be there to hold him. He really wanted to ask what was wrong, but he couldn't. So he asked about the first thing he could think of.

"It's fine. The hotel is nice, and there's a nice little café/bakery down the street. I am a bit tired of American food though, so I'm trying to find a decent Japanese place."

"I thought you loved American food?"

"America breakfast food, yes. Other foods… Well, it depends on what it is. I like American candies a lot though."

"Mm. What kind?"

"What?"

"What's your favorite kind of candy?"

"Um… I don't know, why?"

"Because I want to learn everything about you." **(1)**

"O-okay. I like Heath chocolate bars, Resee's, candycorn, and 'Robin Eggs.'"

"What! Robin's eggs?" Masamune sounded appalled! Ritsu chuckled.

"Not actual eggs, baka! They're this candy that is usually seasonal. You can get them around this time. They're malted milk balls—like 'Whoppers'—that are coated in a candy topping. They are designed to be colorful and speckled, like robin eggs."

"Okay. For a second, I thought you were crazy." Masamune was just happy that his lover wasn't crying anymore.

"Gee, thanks!"

"No problem. Anyways, have you heard from Satou-sensei? You're supposed to be working while you're there—"

"Yes, I know! And yes. I faxed the storyboard to the office right before I went to bed last night. I can do my work, you know."

"I know. I was just asking because I thought you might be busy. I thought she might give you some trouble. You know how authors get after a hard 'cycle. Many of the mangaka are still cranky from winter and such."

"Yeah… She wasn't really a ray of sunshine, but I got it done."

"Good. I'll take a look at it and make edits of my own."

"Sounds good… You sound tired."

"I am, but I can keep talking."

"No, I should let you go."

"Huh?"

"I'll talk to you later. You probably have to get up early."

"You're more important—"

"I'll talk to you later. Goodbye, Masamune."

"Fine. I love you, bye."

"I-I love you too…"

Click.

Masamune sighed and put his phone down. He was tired, but he wanted to talk to Ritsu more. They didn't get to talk that often because they were both busy. He'd rather talk about Ritsu's day than work, but he had to make sure he was working because he was the Editor-in-Chief. Sometimes he didn't like it that they worked together, but he supposed that was a lie. He liked to watch Ritsu work. He liked having him on his team. He never actually said so, but Ritsu was a great editor. He also liked it when he kissed Ritsu at work. He didn't usually do it in front of people; he usually kissed him whenever he went to the vending machine, in the break room, and even in the bathroom. He couldn't help himself.

He sighed and put out the cigarette he had been smoking. He was glad Ritsu hadn't brought that up again. He knew it was bad for him, but he'd started in highschool. Right before he'd met Ritsu. He didn't really like it much, but after a bit, it relaxed him. He had managed to quit for a while, during the time he was with Ritsu, but after he left, he picked up the nasty habit once more.

He fell asleep without dreaming.

88The Next Day88

At luch, he was able to talk to Ritsu again. However, he received some news that he didn't want to hear.

"Absolutely not!"

"But Masamune—"

"No."

"I have—"

"I don't want you to stay for another two weeks! That would make it over a month!"

"I…I kind of already accepted…."

"You WHAT?"

"Well, they really need some help, and Isaka agreed—"

"Damn it, Ritsu! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only found out a few hours ago! I'm really sorry!"

"Ritsu…"

"I said I was sor—"

"No, it's… it's okay…" He sighed. "I don't want to hold you back."

"Thank you. I promise, I'll make it up to you!"

"Oh you will. I know you will." Uh oh. Ritsu knew that meant he probably would have a tough time walking for a week after he got back.

"P-pervert…. I gotta go back to sleep now. I just wanted to tell you that…"

"Love you."

"L-love you *yawn* too."

Click

8888

"Takano-san, could you come to my office?" Isaka asked.

"Why?" He asked hotly. He was annoyed. He didn't like being interrupted at work.

"Because I said so!" Isaka said cheerfully and went to the elevator. Masamune sighed in annoyance and put his storyboard down. He got in the elevator, next to some kid—_wait, that's Misaki, right?_

"Hello, Takano-san!" Misaki said cheerfully. His cast was different.

"Hello, you're Usami's lover, Misaki, right?" He went bright red.

"Th-that's, I, er….Yes…" The kid's blushing reminded him of his own lover. They did look kind of similar. They looked around the same age, even though Ritsu was older.

"Say, what happened to your arm, anyways?"

"Oh, I tripped while dusting the balcony and fell down the stairs. It's a bit better now. I should get the cast off soon. I came back to work about a week ago."

"Was the break that serious?" Misaki blushed.

"N-not really. Usag—Usami-san was just being an overprotective idiot." It felt weird to call Usagi-san 'Usami' instead. Misaki had become rather accustomed to calling him by his nickname.

"Ah. Well… I hope it gets better soon…" Masamune wasn't really good at small-talk, so he was glad that he was getting off at this floor.

"Thank you. Hey, where's Onodera-kun? I haven't seen him for a while."

"He went to America to help set up the new office building."

"Oh? Isaka offered that to me, but I…declined." Meaning that Usagi-san had done it for him. "Is this your floor? I'll talk to you some other time, then." Masamune nodded politely and stepped off the elevator. He decided that he liked Misaki. He seemed like a good kid.

"What do you want, Isaka?"

"How rude!" Isaka said dramatically. "And here I was, about to offer you something about your lover!"

"What?" He was interested now.

"Well, since you were just sooo mean, I don't know if I should tell you~!"

"Fine. I'm _sorry."_ He said through gritted teeth.

"I don't think you meant it, but good enough for now. I was asked to send another representative for Marukawa since Onodera-kun is busy being translator most of the time. You're a good editor, and an Editor-in-Chief, so naturally…"

"You want me to go to America?"

"Yes. Do you want—"

"What time is my flight?"

"That's what I thought." Isaka said with a grin.

**~Kyaaaa~! Okay, so I updated! I'm sooooorrry I took soooo long! I know some of you are mad, but I just haven't been feeling great! **

**Question of the day: Since Masamune's going to New York, where should he and Ritsu go on a date? I know…slight spoiler!**

**Please Review~!**


	4. Chapter 4

**~Kyaaa!~ I know I've been bad at updating lately, and I'm sorry! I'm trying! I've just been super busy! I will try to update more, but the end of the grading period is coming up, and I need to work extra hard! For some reason, I don't have a good grade in math. I seriously don't get it. I have like 2 bad papers, and they weren't worth much. I have no clue why it's so bad!**

**I've also been pretty sick lately…**

**That footnote that I forgot was supposed to say, "(1) In that manga, Masamune said that he wanted to know everything about Ritsu." More than once.**

**Disclaimer~**

Masamune sighed. It was taking forever! He just wanted to get on his damn flight! It'd been four days since Isaka told him about going to America, and he hasn't told Ritsu. He wanted to surprise his lover. Ritsu's time in America should have been up yesterday, but since he was staying for another two weeks… Masamune still wasn't happy about that, but he didn't want to hold Ritsu back. He was supposed to run his own company one day, after all. _Wait, what will happen to our relationship once he goes back to Onodera Publishing? I wonder if we'll ever tell his parents…_

He checked his luggage into the airport and made sure Sorata was all well. Yes, he was going to take his pregnant cat to America. He didn't trust Ishikaru to take care of her. He'd left Rara to the care of Ari and Kano—who had been staying at Ari(Ritsu)'s place more and more. He didn't want to burden them with another animal, especially since both his cat and Ritsu's dog were pregnant. She'd joked about the pets having the same sex-drive as their owners. She had also warned him to be very careful with Sorata. She was due in two weeks. He was half looking forward to it, yet at the same time he was dreading it. Ari had told him that because she was so old, she more than likely wouldn't survive the kitting. He hoped that wasn't true.

He was about to pull out a cigarette when someone cleared their throat. He looked up to see an annoyed-looking security guy pointing to a 'No smoking' sign. He sighed and put it away. He let out a small groan when he remembered Ritsu saying that smoking bans in America were even more strict. _Ugh! At this rate, I'll have to chew the damn things to get my nicotine fix!_ He remembered Ritsu asking him if he'd consider quitting, and felt a bit guilty. He shoved the thought away._ It's not easy to quit, and I never promised!_

"Now calling for flight 316A! Now calling for flight 316A!"

He patted Sorata's head one more time and boarded his plane.

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Ari sighed. Without Ritsu, she began to get bored. But then one day, Kano came over. They had lots of fun! They watched movies—even kid movies. Kano never judged her, and she was thankful. Anyone else (besides Ritsu) would have laughed at her and called her childish. But she liked Disney movies and cartoons. He seemed to like them too. He'd laugh along with her, and he even picked some of them out. He also came up with the best games! They sat on the couch, watching '_FullMetal Alchemist'_ and eating snacks. Ari sighed happily and patted Rara's head. Then she began to stock her stomach.

"You know, girl, you'll have your puppies in just a few weeks…."

"Did you say something?" Kano asked.

"N-no." She blushed. Her stomach always got butterflies in it when he looked at her. She shook her head. She couldn't think about that. She didn't want a relationship, and it didn't want her. He tilted his head.

"I wonder if Ritsu will take us to an amusement park when he gets back…." Kano said.

"Well, we could go ourselves…."

"Nah. I want him to come too! He's nice!"

"I know. If we asked, I'm sure he'll go. I've never been to an amusement park…"

"What!" He cried. "But you have to go to one at least once as a kid!"

"Well, that wasn't exactly on my agenda…."

"Well…. Would you like to go with me? I know it won't be the same without Ritsu, but…" He trailed off.

"…I don't know…" She didn't like to go to places that had big crowds if Ritsu wasn't with her.

"Please? It'll be fun!" He begged, half-smiling. He grabbed her hands and leaned towards her. When he realized what he was doing, he dropped them and blushed. She blushed too.

"S-sure…" He smiled at her.

"Good! We'll go tomorrow!"

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Masamune sat up groggily. He was still on the plane. He'd never been on a plane this long, and he didn't really enjoy flying too much. It made his stomach roll. He yawned and stretched.

"Attention, we are about to land. Please fasten your seatbelts! We'll land in ten minutes! Thank you for choosing Jashin Airline!"

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Masamune glances at his phone. He was glad that it changed time-zones automatically.

**9:37 pm**

He was so tired. Taking anti-nausea pills made him so groggy and sleepy. He barely remembered getting in a taxi and getting in the hotel. The lady at the desk gave him a flirtatious smile and handed him a key-pass. It was to Ritsu's room. Isaka had said that all of the arrangements were made, but he had no idea how she knew it was him. He carried his bags to the elevator and went to the 17th floor. When he got to his floor, he fumbled with the key-pass and managed to get into the room. He sat his stuff down roughly, which earned him a 'mew' of protest from Sorata.

"Sorry." He muttered. He knelt down and unlatched the cat carrier to let her out. She stretched for a moment, and then jumped onto a nearby chair, going back to sleep. Her belly was very swollen. She would probably have her kittens within the week, which meant that she would have to have them in America. He wasn't going back to Japan for nine days.

"Ritsu?" He called. No answer. He walked back to the bedroom part, and sure enough, there was Ritsu. But he wasn't on the bed. He was on the floor, still fully clothed. There were a few papers scattered around him too.

"Baka… you'll catch a cold like that…." He yawned as he said it. He picked up his still-sleeping lover. He pulled back the covers and laid Ritsu down. He kicked off his shoes and climbed in behind him. For the first time in almost a month, he could honestly say that he knew he would sleep well that night. He had his Ritsu in his arms again.

"Mm….Masamune…" Ritsu muttered in his sleep. He snuggled closer to Masamune, causing the other man to smile.

He was happy.

**~Kyaaaa!~ I'm so tired! I tried to write yesterday, but it just didn't work out…**

**Are you all mad at me for disappearing?**

**I love you guys!**

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**~Kyaaa!~ Okay, I know I keep disappearing, but bear with me! I wanted to hang with some friends today, but I'm, er, having difficulties. It's my stomach again (shocker, eh?) and I can't really move all that much. So I decided to write instead. Oh, and I'm also starting to get into RoyXEd FMA action too…. But I kind of like EdXWinry… I like Roy more though.**

**I AM SO SORRY! I FOUND OUT THAT SORATA IS ACTUALLY A TOM! I thought Sorata was a she-cat, but ****Hikari Teiruzu****told me that Sorata was a tom! I'm so sorry guys!**

**So… I guess this is gender-bent Sorata….**

**I dedicate this to ****Hikari Teiruzu**** because I really appreciate people telling me where I've made mistakes! I can't change it now though. Sorata is going to have kittens soon!**

**Thanks!**

Ritsu was feeling very comfortable and warm. He went to roll over, but found that he couldn't. A pair of strong arms were wrapped around him. He was still half-asleep and thought maybe he'd dropped his bag on the bed too… _Wait…when did I get in the bed?...I don't remember… _He felt warm lips touch his and he nearly melted into the kiss. _Masamune…. WAIT! HE'S IN JAPAN!_ In the spilt second it took for him to open his eyes, his mind flashed to Jack. Had he gotten in here? What had happened? His eyes snapped open and he quickly shoved as hard as he could.

He landed with an 'Oomph!'

"Are you alright?" Chuckled an all-too-familiar voice.

"M-Masamune!" His eyes shot up to meet deep mahogany ones that were lit with love and amusement.

"Expecting someone else?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"N-no, I just-wait, how did you get here?"

"I walked," He replied sarcastically. "No. I got on a plane, dummy."

"Wh-why are you here?"

"Isaka said you were so swamped that he thought he should send another Rep for Marukawa to back you up.—Do you need help?" He asked, seeing how his lover was still struggling, tangled up in the blanket he had fallen with. Ritsu blushed.

"I-I can get up by myself!" Ritsu stammered He untangled himself from the blanket and got back onto the bed. Masamune gladly pulled him back into his arms, kissing him again. This time, Ritsu did melt. He moaned as Masamune's tongue explored his mouth. He kissed back fully, relishing what he'd been missing for almost a month. Masamune pulled back for a second.

"Now _that_ is the 'hello kiss' I should have gotten in the first place." He smirked.

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"That you love."

"…" He glanced at the clock. "Crap. I need to go to work. Are you—"

"I don't have to go for three days. I came here early because I wanted to see you." _How can he say that so easily? He is so not Japanese! _**(1)**

"Oh. Um, how long are you staying?"

"Trying to get rid of me already, Onodera?" He teased.

"N-No! I was just wondering…"

"Relax. I was only kidding. I'll be here for nine days-*yawn*."

"Why do you sound so tired?"

"I took some anti-nausea stuff for the plane."

"Oh. Well, I need to take a shower…"

"I would join you, but the drowsiness hasn't worn off yet."

"Alright, well, go back to sleep. I'll be back around three."

"Three o'clock? Why do you get off so early?"

"I don't know. Jack told me that they might give us a mini vacation."

"Jack?"

"He's one of my new co-workers."

"Oh? Tell me about your new team."

"Well, Angel is like a ball of energy, but she does her work pretty well. Amy was bossy and kind of annoying, but she's better about it now. Andrew was too cocky for my liking, but he's most;y better. Alex is very timid, but he's really nice. He just needs a little nudge sometimes, but other than that, he's a good worker. I like them pretty well. I—wait, if I don't shower now, I won't make it on time."

"Wait, you didn't say anything about Jack. What's he like?"

"J-Jack? H-he's fine. I'm getting in the shower!" He shouted, quickly stripping. Masamune groaned. He really, really, wanted nothing more than to join his lover in the shower, but his eyelids were just too heavy. _Curse you, anti-nausea meds! Robbing me of my Ritsu-sex… Evil._

He saw Ritsu's naked form through a crack in the door and groaned again.

_So, so evil…._

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"Pourquoi?"

"Vous méritez une vacances! Vous pouvez avoir trois jours! S'il vous plaît! Vous travailler si dur…"

"Merci, mais êtes-vous sûr?"

"Oui! Merci à vous pour votre travail! Amusez-vous bien!"

Ritsu smiled at Marco as he went back to work.

"+What are you so happy about+?" Jack asked. Things had been kind of awkward at first, but now they were better. Jack wasn't as mean, which Ritsu thought was kind of odd. Jack had grey eyes that always seemed more intense when they focused on Ritsu, and his hair was jet-black, wavy, and sleek.

"+W-well, Marco offered me a three-day vacation for working so hard, but I tried to say no—+ "

"+Onodera-kun! Why would you decline? You deserve it!+" Alex piped up.

"+Yeah, Boss!+" Amy added.

"+Uh-huh! You should take it!+" Angel scolded lightly. Jack didn't say anything. He just watched silently. Andrew had gone to see his mangaka, and he wasn't back yet. It was almost time to leave. Ritsu was kind of tired, but he couldn't help feeling a bit excited about seeing Masamune again. He kind of… Okay, he was really horny.

But he couldn't help it.

Jack was watching him with a strange, thoughtful look.

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When Ritsu walked in the door, Masamune shoved the book he'd been reading under the bed. Ritsu didn't see it. Ritsu walked over to the mini fridge and grabbed a soda.

"How was work?" Masamune asked.

"It was fine. We got out on time, and get this," He took a few gulps. "Marco gave me a vacation. For the next three days! He wouldn't even let me protest at all—"

"But isn't that a good thing? You have been working hard."

"Yeah, I guess. I just feel so lazy and useless when I'm not working." Masamune snorted.

"And you call _me_ a workaholic."

"You are."

"…True."

"A-as long as we have some time off… Do you want to go site-seeing with me? We could visit some shops or a museum and that café down the street…Or maybe Central Park?"

"Onodera Ritsu, are you asking me on a date?"

"I-I, That's, I, um, I meant—"

"Yes. I would like to go on a date with you in New York. Thank you, I'm looking forward to it." He was so happy. Ritsu asked _him_ on a date!

"B-baka. We've been on dates before…"

"But _you've_ never been the one to ask _me._ Anyways, come here."

"What? why?" Ritsu asked as he walked over to the man. Masamune pulled him into his lap and kissed him roughly.

"Parce que, mon amour, nous allons faire l'amour." Ritsu blushed deep scarlet. Masamune speaking French? How… He was… It was… It was sexy…

"H-How—"

"Voulez-vous faire l'amour ou pas?" He was starting to get impatient.

"O-oui."

"Très bien, mon amour…" He whispered in Ritsu's ear, kissing it.

As he laid his lover on his bed, he made sure to kick that English-French dictionary under the bed completely.

**~Kyaaaa~! I'm sorry! Lemon will be in the next chapter! I'm just too tired right now! Their date will also be in the next chapter, along with Ari and Kano's date as well! I pretty much have them planned out!**

**Question of the day: What would you guys think if I said I was going to make an FMA EdXRoy fic? I have a great idea for it!**

**TRANSLATIONS IN ORDER! **

**PLEASE TELL ME IF ANY ARE WRONG!**

"Why?"

"You deserve a vacation! You can have three days! Please! You work so hard…"

"Thank you, but are you sure?"

"Yes! Thank you for your work! Have fun!"

"Because, my love, we are going to make love."

"Do you want to make love or not?"

"Y-yes."

"Very good, my love."


	6. Chapter 6

**~Kyaaa~ I'm sorry about not updating! I try! Anyways, here's my new chapter! **

**Wait, before I forget, that footnote was supposed to say, "(1) In Japan, affection and love are supposed to be private. It is rare for a couple to discuss love**

**Why do I always forget footnotes?**

**Thanks for your concern guys! And, 'ImJustLazy', yes, I have been sick. Something also happened to my arm. I dunno why, but my right hand began to hurt one night, and when I woke up it was red. Then the pain shot up to my elbow. My mom thinks I pinched a nerve. Then, when I went to write, my dad ruined. It. He barged in and made me fall into my laptop—ripping out the charger and damaging my poor baby! I'm pissed. I have to hold it a certain way to get it to charge until I get a new one!**

**I'm sorry I made you worry!**

**Oomikaru Land is made-up**

**Disclaimer!~**

Ritsu sighed. Masamune was not a happy camper. Right as they had fallen to the bed, Masamune was in a frenzy, trying to rid Ritsu of his clothes, and then… _it_ happened.

_**~Flashback~**_

"_Mm…Masamune…" Ritsu moaned into his mouth. Masamune responded by pulling him closer and pulling his shirt off. Then he proceeded to kiss and nip at his neck._

_**Riiiing! Riiiing! Riiing!**_

"_If you even think about moving…"_

"_B-but it's my boss's tone-Ah!"_

"_No. This is more important."_

"_J-just l-let me go—Oh! It'll just take a second—ah!"_

"_It'd better be quick."_

_It hadn't been quick. Marco apologized over and over, but they needed Ritsu to come translate. There were two board-meetings happening, and Marco couldn't do both. Masamune was not happy._

_**~End of flashback~**_

Ritsu wasn't happy either. Hearing Masamune speak French like that and then not being able to...to…

"Ugh. I'm acting like some hormonal teenager…" He muttered as he answered the hotel room once again.

He sighed and climbed into bed, careful not to wake his sleeping lover. It was very early in the morning.

When he woke up, Masamune was sitting in a chair, reading a book. He didn't have time to see the cover before Masamune noticed him and put it down.

"Good morning." Ritsu offered

"Hn." Ritsu sighed.

"I said I was sorry—"

"It's fine." He cut him off. Ritsu didn't look convinced. His shoulders slumped. It wasn't as if he'd meant to… Masamune sighed again and walked over to him, kissing him on the forehead.

"Hey, I said it was fine. I'm not mad."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I'm not just here for the sex—though I certainly do love it. I'm here because I love you," He said simply. Ritsu blushed, but smiled a small, sincere smile. That made Masamune smile too. He kissed Ritsu again, on the lips this time. Ritsu kissed back and wrapped his arms around Masamune's neck. Masamune was surprised. It wasn't like his lover to show affection so openly. He didn't question it though.

"So," He said when they broke for air. "Did you plan our date?" Ritsu wanted to say, 'Well duh! That's part of why I stayed so late at work! I was researching places to go!' But instead he managed a small,

"Yes." Suddenly he pulled back, "Oh yeah! We should get going now!" He said cheerfully. Masamune groaned. He wished he hadn't said anything at all.

Then Ritsu suddenly came back into the room.

"C'mon! Let's go!" He said, taking Masamune's hand.

On second thought, maybe it would be worth it…

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Ari was nervous. She was kind of scared to go to an amusement park. What kind of people would be there? Were the rides scary? What kind of food would be there? Would Kano think she was annoying? Would he hate her if she got scared?

"Oh, Rara! What do I do? Do I cancel?" She fretted, hugging the pregnant dog. Rara let out a huff, as if to say, 'Get off you big oaf! You'll be fine!'

"Easy for you to say! I don't even know your baby-daddy!"

'So?'

"…Shut up, dog."

'You talked to me first.'

"I must be insane. Talking to a dog… crazy…"

'Well, you aren't exactly my normal conversational adversary either.'

"Touché." She giggled and ruffled Rara's silky chocolate brown fur. Rara looked up at her with amusement in her eyes.

"Tsk tsk, Rara-chan. You're distracting me! I should be getting ready!" Rara winked at her, and Ari blinked in surprise. She must be insane. Dogs don't wink, and definitely don't talk. She walked to the bathroom and began to brush her hair and teeth. She made sure not to look into the mirror. She knew what she would see. Her pale skin, no blemishes in sight, her long black hair—just like her mother's, and _his_ eyes. The eyes that marked her. The eyes that made her mother leave her. The eyes that made her father hate her. The eyes of a demon.

That's what her mother had said when Child Protective Service people tried to bring Ari back to her. As soon as they left, her mother said hissed at her and shunned her away saying, "You have his eyes! The eyes of a demon! You are not welcome here! Demon, get out! Leave us alone! You are _not_ my child! My Arika is dead! Dead!"

"But mommy! I—"

"I am not your mother, you foul little creature! Now get out!" She began to sob pitifully and run. She ran and ran until she could run anymore. Then she wound a payphone and called Toka.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She had to look in the mirror. How would she know if she looked okay? She glanced up warily. Her mirror-self did the same. Her lips were a plump pink, her skin was pale, but not as pale as she remembered, and her hair fell in waterfalls on her shoulders, curling slightly. Her long black hair and eyelashes really highlighted her golden eyes.

People always said they loved her eyes. If only they knew.

_**Knock Knock Knock!**_

She smiled. It was time for her date.

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The streets in New York City were quite crowded. Masamune had no idea where they were going. Ritsu wouldn't tell him. He was delighted and frustrated at the same time. It wasn't that cold, so they had on light jackets, and the body-heat from the crowds did a fine job of keeping them warm. He didn't like crowds. Even more so when Ritsu was with him. He was terrified that his lover would get lost. He was kind of short and there were so many people. Once or twice, he lost sight of his lover and almost called out his name, but then Ritsu would seem to appear out of thin air, telling him to keep up. After the third time, Ritsu finally grabbed onto his hand and didn't let go. Masamune smiled and genuine smile, and then he smirked.

"What?"

"I thought you didn't like holding hands in public."

"I-I don't, but you could get lost."

"Me? You're the one who keeps getting lost."

"Me get lost?" He snorted. "Yeah right. I've been here before._ You_ keep disappearing on _me_. Now c'mon, dummy. I don't want to be late."

"Reservations for lunch?" This time, Ritsu smirked.

"Sort of. You'll see. I shall give no hints."

"Kill-joy."

"Pfft. Uh-huh. Anyways, wait here." He said, letting go of Masamune's hand. Masamune immediately grabbed him again. "What?"

"If you go, I won't be able to see you."

"Baka! Relax. I'll only be a minute! Just wait right here!"

"…Fine…" Masamune growled reluctantly.

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Kano sucked in his breath. She was beautiful. No. Stunning. No. Flawless. No… no words could describe her. All of his vocabulary flew out the window. It didn't matter that he was a famous author/mangaka. He could spend forever trying to describe her. She was smiling sheepishly, and clutching her bag nervously. She wore a beautiful light blue sundress that ended halfway down her thighs, a white messenger bag, white flats, her hair was down and curled slightly at her shoulders, and her golden eyes seemed to glow. She didn't even have to wear make-up. In his opinion, most girls looked better without it. He realized that she was waiting for him to say something.

"I, um, you look…"

"Bad? I'm sorry! I was—"

"Beautiful." She blushed. He offered her his arm (_Just like in the old timey movies…)_ and walked her to his car.

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Masamune watched people pass him on the street. There were so any different types of people. Tall, short, bearded, blonde, brunette, redheads…. There was a mother who even had her child on a leash! Masamune snorted in disgust. He hated seeing those stupid things. New York smelled weird, he decided. It smelled different in every new place. Some smelled sweet, like where there were bakeries, some smelled like meat because of hotdog stands, and many smelled like sweat and gasoline because of all of the people and cars. _So I suppose it's an okay place… I wonder why Ritsu likes America so much… This can't be it. Tokyo is a busy city too…_

"Hey," A voice cut into his thoughts.

"Miko?" Miko smiled.

"Yep. So, where are you headed? Where's Ritsu?"

"I don't know."

"You lost him!"

"No, he's just—"

"What did you do?" She demanded.

"Nothing! He told me to wait here for a bit. He'll be back any second. And why do you assume _I_ did something?"

"I dunno. Commen sense?"

"Hey!"

"I was kidding. Calm down. I gotta get going anyways."

"Where are you headed?"

"To my store, of course. I was running errands all morning. Now I have to go have a meeting and decide on models and stuff. We're going to start a magazine! I'm so excited! I never thought my store would be so—sorry, I'm annoying you, aren't I?" She blushed

"Nah."

"Well I'm going to be late, so tell me the details later!"

"Will do." Of course he wouldn't. It would be weird for him to talk about that, and hard to imagine her fangirling over them. She saluted him and disappeared into the crowd. Truth be told, he'd forgotten that she was in America too. He was thinking about pulling a cigarette out (since Ritsu wasn't there to lecture him) when,

"Masamune, come on!" He glanced up and saw his lover beside him. He smirked at the picnic basket that was now in his lover's hand (an honest to goodness picnic basket, complete with a part of red and white checkered blanket sticking up out of the sides). He could guess what was going to happen next.

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Kano chuckled at his date's expression. Her jaw dropped when they got to the gates of Oomikaru Land.

"That's…."

"An amusement park." He supplied. She quickly shut her mouth in embarrassment. She looked at him nervously between glances at the huge rollercoasters. Kano like them, but rollercoasters weren't his favorite. "Don't worry. We don't have to start on those. We can start on something small…" She breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad there are other people here. At least I know I won't be the only one getting freaked out. There has to be at least one other person her as nervous as me." He chuckled.

"Yeah. I bet there are quite a few." He was suddenly glad that he hadn't reserved the park for just them. He certainly could have, with the kind of money he made. He had paced his house, planning hundreds of ways the date could go. Shinzo had called him an idiot and told him to just let it happen. Ryo told him if it was destined, then it would be (as he glanced at Shinzo lovingly. Those two had gotten close fast. Shinzo didn't even hit him with the pillow that time…hard). Suddenly, he had an idea.

"The teacups!"

"What?"

"The teacup ride! It's where you sit in a giant teacup that spins. There are five or six in the circle that orbit this track while they spin. It's really fun, and not too scary."

"O-okay. That sound… fun, actually." He beamed at her, and his eyes sparkled. She offered him a smile, and he slid her hand into his. He glanced up at her, as if to ask, 'is this okay?' She offered another small smile, assuring him that it was okay. When their hands touched, it felt like little jolts of electricity, but not in a bad way… She wondered if that's how Ritsu felt when he and Masamune touched hands…

They walked through the park, holding hands and enjoying the beautiful weather. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and families and couples bustled about. When they got to the teacup ride, he gave her hand one last reassuring squeeze before sliding in the back. She sat in front, so they were directly across from each other. They sat their hands on the little table-thing in the middle.

"_The ride is now starting. Hold on tight!"_

He grinned at her, and butterflies went crazy in her stomach. Then the ride began. She was laughing as they spun, and trying to look around. It was hard because of the speed. Everything looked blurry, but that made it more fun. It was challenging to focus on anything, but she tried anyways. Then she looked up and saw Kano. He was laughing too, but the sound was lost to the machine. But that wasn't why she was staring. He looked so… happy. His hair was flying in his face, the brown curls unfurled, his electric blue eyes shone with happiness, and he had a crooked smile on his face. Then he met her eyes and they both blushed.

Kano was having so much fun! He kept sneaking glances at Ari to see if it was fun for her too. She was laughing and looking all around. Her hair was flying in the wind; it almost looked like it was floating on its own. As if she were and angel… And in a way, she was. No matter what, she smiled for him. She knew who he was and what he had, and yet she still smiled for him. She had an incomparable beauty. In her own way, she seemed to glow. Then she looked at him and their eyes met. She blushed deeply, and he felt his own cheeks growing hot. Then she went to move her hair out of her face, and ended up tumbling forwards on the seat, and straight into Kano. He caught her and helped her sit up while they were still spinning. She blushed bright red, and he smiled at her. He didn't seem to care that her hair was 'messed up'. He actually thought it was cute that way. She was about to scoot back to where she had been before, but he wrapped one arm around her.

She was happy

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Central Park. Ritsu knew it was cliché. But that's all he could think of. The walked together, holding hands until they got to the spot he'd picked out. It was a nice little clearing next to a pond. There weren't many people in that area, so they were pretty much alone. He grabbed the checkered blanket and went to spread it, but the breeze refused to let him. It kept making it get wrinkled. Masamune grabbed the other side, steadying it. After they got it situated, the sat down and opened the basket. Inside, there were two submarine sndwhiches.

"Sorry, I know it's nothing fancy."

"No, this is fine."

He smiled as he took the first bite. It had everything he liked. Salami, lettuce, cucumbers, mayo, ham, and American cheese. He was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't have black olives. He hated olives, but he knew it was common to put them on this type of sandwich.

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That I don't like black olives. Don't they always put those on this type of sandwich?"

"Yeah. They do that a lot. I remembered you saying something about it around last November or so… When Mino brought everyone lunch and you said you hated the black olives that were on your sandwich… Why are you smiling like that?"

"Because you remembered something so trivial about me. That really makes me happy."

"B-baka! It was just some stupid small fact!"

"That you remembered. You care."

"Of course I care. I mean, I didn't want something so small to ruin our date—er, I mean—"

"Nope. You said date."

"That's not fair!"

"Too bad. It's a date." He grinned, pulling Ritsu into his lap.

"W-what are you doing?" He cried

"I love you." He said, pulling Ritsu in for a kiss.

**~Kyaaaa!~ Okay, I know I promised a lemon, but I'm too tired. There will be one in the next chapter, along with the second half of the dates! I haven't been feeling great, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging, so here you go!**

**Was it cute?**

**Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**~Kyaaaa!~ Okay, I was busy, and I was also a bit depressed. You know, I really liked a boy a while ago, and he died in late September. When I called to tell him 'Happy Birthday', his brother told me what happened. He'd been sick for a long time, so I knew it was possible…But they forgot to tell me, so I missed his funeral. Then, a few days ago, I logged onto an email that I never use anymore and found four messages. They were from him. He told me that he loved me and he was sorry that he didn't tell me how sick he was. He said I was like his 'Badass Guardian Angel' and stuff like that… There was one dated two days before he died, and I didn't understand it. I looked it up, and it was a love song. It feels like it's only really hitting me now… But, he really loved my stories (though he never read my yaoi) and always told me to keep writing them. I want him to be happy, so I will. He also told me to publish a book… And I'm seriously thinking about it.**

**Notice: I am thinking of writing a novel about Arika and Kano. It will be different, but it will be similar in some ways. So if you ever see a novel about them, don't call the cops on the author!**

**Disclaimer!~**

"M-Masamune! We can't have—_do that_ in the park!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's in public! What if someone walks by?"

"….Well, they'll get an eyeful…"

"Masamune!"

"…Fine… But you owe me for waiting so long." He warned,, trying to give a glare. It was quite hard, actually. Ritsu just looked so cute. He'd taken his jacket off, exposing an over-large T-shirt and his hair was slightly messy from the wind. He was glad Ritsu didn't complain about things like that. He'd had enough of that from the few girls he did date. He loved it that Ritsu could be cute, have an attitude, a great figure, and nice legs without acting like a girl. He realized Ritsu was talking.

"Sorry, what?"

"You heard me!"

"But—mmph!" Ritsu was kissing him. He kissed back, but he still wondered what Ritsu had said. Whatever it was, if that's why he was kissing him, Masamune was grateful. Masamune pulled Ritsu into his lap so they could kiss better, but Ritsu pulled back.

"I-I told you, n-not here!"

"But you started it!" Masamune whined. _I don't whine! I was stating a fact! _He tried to convince himself.

"No. I said I would k-kiss you right now if you agreed to wait."

"Then I take back that agreement." Masamune growled. Ritsu ducked out of his grasp. Ritsu offered a half-smirk.

"You can't. You accepted the kiss."

"But… How could I not? That wasn't fair. I'll always want to kiss you." Ritsu blushed. It looked even more prominent in the glow of the almost-setting sun. Golden beams of light snuck through the trees, highlighting Ritsu's face, giving him a glowing look. Masamune smiled. Anyone could see Ritsu, but they would never see him like this. Dressed in an oversized T-shirt, slightly messy hair, blushing, and smiling shyly.

"B-baka, don't say such embarrassing things! It's just me!"

"It's because it's you. Every small thing you do makes me happy. We have our fair share of fights, but everyone does. You can be dense, and I can be an ass. It comes with the relationship."

"….That's really… damn. That was pretty much spot-on. Anyways, I was wondering… I.. er, nevermind."

"No. Tell me." Ritsu glanced up at him earnestly. Masamune's black hair looked slightly messy, but then again, it usually did. It never really looked bad, Ritsu thought. His brown eyes searched Ritsu's, as if saying, 'go ahead'. His pale skin was highlighted by the golden rays and his had was slightly tilted to the side. He did that whenever he was thinking or waiting. Normally, nobody would notice because it was so slight, but Ritsu did. He realized Masamune was still waiting for an answer, but he couldn't form words.

"C'mon, please? Tell me." He leaned in, so their faces were almost touching. He didn't do it often. He hated getting in people's faces because he himself found it annoying. But if it was Ritsu, he'd blush and stammer whatever it was, just to get him to move.

"W-well, you said you wanted me to move in with you, right?"

"Yes." He said without hesitation.

"And I want to… So… I thought about calling Ari and asking her to sign the lease for my apartment. That way I can move in without that hassle. We can move my stuff when we get home… If you want…"

"Of course I do. I thought you already did that. I—"

"I'm not done…"

"Go on, then."

"Okay. I know you can't quit all at once, but I want you to try. I don't like it when you smoke inside, so please…?"

"You want me to give up smoking in my own apartment?"

"…Y-yes?"

"That's not going to be easy… I can't just stop. I guess I can try to… Why is it so important? I thought you liked my smell?"

"Well, I do, but-hey! How did you know that?" Ritsu demanded.

"You told me. While you were sleep-talking."

"I thought you said I didn't sleep-talk!"

"You don't. It was just that one time." He lied smoothly. If he told him, he could find a way to stop it, and Masamune liked to hear him sleep-talk.

"Oh… Well, that's not the only reason…"

"What's the other one?"

"Ari…" At Masamune's confused look, he explained. "Her lungs aren't very good with second-hand smoke. Any smoke, really. And she'll probably want to come over sometimes… Oh, then we may need to get the apartment cleaned and fumigated—or whatever it's called… Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself…" He blushed again. And leaned back against Masamune.

"No… I think you're right… I'll try not to smoke inside… TRY. And about moving in, I think we should get a new apartment… together. We'll need more space—and a study. Mine's too crowded with my stuff. What do you think?"

"You want to buy an apartment…together?"

"Yes."

"O-oh… I think… I think I want-no, I do want to buy an apartment with you. Can we look around in the area we already live in though? I don't want to move too far from Ari…"

"Yes. Right before I came here, I heard one of the three bedroom apartments opened up on the fifth floor." There were only about six of those. They took up a lot of room. "You want to try for that one?"

"Yeah. Sounds good to me." He laid down on the blanket, enjoying the breeze that came through. Masamune was about to join him, but Ritsu suddenly sat up again.

"Before I forget," He said, digging into his pocket. "We have one more thing to do." He pulled out three pieces of paper. Two were tickets of some kind, and the other was all folded up. He unfolded it and was surprised to see Ari's picture. It was the one he'd drawn of a wolf and let her color it. He looked at it in the sunlight. It was beautiful. It was a proud black she-wolf with only one patch of white. It was a heart shape on her chest. Her eyes were golden, just like Ari's real ones. She was realistic. It made his heart ache as he remembered her words.

_"I know this is a bit cliché, but that's what I want to be when I'm reincarnated."_

He shook his head. Masamune suddenly remembered what was in his own pocket.

"I have something for you, too." He pulled out a bright yellow bag.

"'Robin Eggs'?" Ritsu grinned. "Thanks! I completely forgot to get some!"

"Don't I get a reward?" Masamune _didn't _pout. He swears.

"I already gave you the ticket to the planetarium!"

"But I want a kiss."

"Argh! You're impossible!" He darted forward and kissed Masamune anyways, but it was brief. He sighed. RItsu was cute when he was shy, but Masamune wished he wouldn't be shy all the time.

They began to clean up, feeling satisfied with their meal.

"Masamune?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Depends, do I get a _real_ reward?" To his surprise, it was one of Ritsu's brave moments (he usually had them when he thought that someone thought he couldn't do something). Ritsu smiled coyly.

"Maybe."

"Ooh. Okay, name it."

"Try a 'Robin Egg'!"

"….No."

"Then you don't get a 'reward'."

"But… But…. Ah damn. Fine."

"Yes!" Ritsu cheered, grinning.

"Better be one hell of a reward…" Masamune muttered. The name 'Robin Eggs' really didn't appeal to him at all. He thought they sounded gross. Ritsu opened the bag and handed Masamune a white one that was speckled with blue and yellow. He took it and hesitated to put it in his mouth.

"Oh, for God's sake!" Ritsu shoved it in his mouth. Masamune chewed, surprised. It didn't taste bad. It wasn't his favorite, but it was pretty good. He liked the way the inner core tasted. He swallowed and said,

"You're going to pay for that later…. And I expect that 'reward', too!"

"C'mon, baka!"

8888

Ari was having so much fun! She and Kano had ridden the teacups one more time, rode a few more rides, and then they played some games. They played this one where you had to throw a ball at a moving target, and if you got the fastest target, you could pick a big stuffed animal. She tried, but when she went to through, she suddenly felt dizzy. She laughed it off and told Kano he could finish for her. He hit the second fastest one, and the vender guy—named Benny—told him he could pick out a stuffed animal (medium sized). He walked over to her.

"Which one do you want?"

"But you won it!"

"But I want to give it to you. Think of it as a 'thank you' for coming on this date gift." He smiled at her.

"B-but… I don't need a gift. I like spending time with you…" They both blushed. Benny cleared his throat. Kano gestured for her to pick. She looked at all of them. A purple monkey, a blue tiger with large green eyes, an orange and pink cat, and a green poodle. No wolves. She glanced over them once more.

"The tiger, please."

"Here ya go, missy." Benny said, flashing a rotten-toothed grin. He had a kind smile, even though it was kind of gross. He handed her the blue tiger and she smiled back. Kano smiled at her too.

"Good choice. What are you going to name her?" _How did he know?_

"How did you know I wanted it to be a girl?"

"It is a girl." Kano said seriously. She decided to let it go.

"…Frost? No…. I have a better idea. Kari!"

"That's a nice name. How'd you come up with it?"

"I combined our names." He laughed.

"Isn't how they name celebrity couples?" She giggled.

"Yeah. Well, you are a celebrity!"

"…I suppose that's true… Hey, you wanna get some ice-cream?" Before she could nod (cold foods always made her feel better anyways), he took her hand and led her to the vender. She got cookie-dough flavored, and he got brownie-chunk. As they walked to the gate, they still held hands (Kari was in her bag).

"You have good taste."

"Huh?"

"In ice-cream. Cookie dough is awesome. And this brownie chunk isn't bad either. Here, try it." He said, offering her his cone. She licked it and smiled. It _was_ good. It tasted like real brownie chunks, not like that kind that had weird chocolaty substance that never tasted quite right. She offered him hers, and when he licked it, he got some on his nose. She giggled.

"What?"

"You have ice-cream on your nose!"

"Oh, haha. You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"I dunno… Race ya to the car?" She challenged.

"You're on. Three…two….one… GO!" They took off, laughing as they went.

The drive home was pleasant. They chatted about anything and everything. When they got to her(Ritsu's) apartment, he walked her to the door.

"Thank you for that wonderful day, Kano." She smiled shyly and blushed. He blushed too.

"No problem. Ari? Can… can I kiss you?" They were both bright red. She managed to nod, and he kissed her lips briefly. Just a peck. But that was all it took. After he left, she leaned against the wall and melted.

She was in love.

8888

The planetarium was actually pretty cool. The tour-guide told stories about the constellations and there was a simulator that let you see the way the night sky would look on any day of the year. But while she was talking, all he did was look at Ritsu's face. It was lit up with excitement and wonder. He was looking all around and pointing things out. He was smiling and laughing about different things. Masamune loved how his face looked in the 'starlight'. It made his eyes look like they were really shining—they always shone, but now it was even more so. Whenever Ritsu pointed something out, Masamune would listen to him talk and nod. He had no idea that Ritsu was interested in such things.

"Am I boring you?"

"No. I just didn't know you liked this stuff."

"Well, I told you I like history. I just really like the myths about the constellations and stuff. I took a mythology class while I studied here… Sometimes, I came here to sit and think. It was harder to sit out and see the real stars, so I made do with what I had…"

"Mm. That was interesting, but now I want to get back to the hotel. I could really use that 'reward' right about now…" Ritsu blushed and let Masamune take him by the hand and lead him back to the hotel.

_**~Lemon~**_

Ritsu was starting to get impatient in the elevator, but he had more restraint than Masamune. Masamune pulled Ritsu to him and lifted him up so they could kiss better. Ritsu gave up on denying his desire… For today, anyways… He wrapped his legs around Masamune's waist and kissed back, moaning. At that point, if the elevator hadn't stopped, Masamune would have taken him in the elevator.

"M-Masamune… Elevator….stopped—ah!"

"Mm…" He carried Ritsu inside their room and laid him on the bed. He began to strip his clothes and resumed kissing. He broke away once, simply to order Ritsu to, "Strip." Ritsu complied and Masamune let his hands roam all over Ritsu's body, enjoying the feeling as they kissed. Surprisingly, Ritsu pulled back. Masamune growled and tried to pull him back, but he motioned for Masamune to sit on the bed. _Does he mean….? Oh hell yes!_

"Nnn….Ritsu…" Ritsu swirled his tongue up and down Masamune's hot shaft, getting more aroused bt each sound he made. Oh yes, this definitely was a great reward. Ritsu suddenly took Masamune's manhood all the way into his mouth, deep-throating him. Masamune moaned his lover's name, and RItsu began to bob his head. He had only done this a few times before, but he was a fast learner. Masamune was losing it. He wanted to be inside! Ritsu's mouth felt amazing, but he wanted to fuck his lover and make him scream his name. He tapped Ritsu's shoulder, and Ritsu looked up at him, blushing.

"Now it's time for your 'reward'." Ritsu blushed deeper and released Masamune from his mouth. He was immediately pulled into a hungry kiss. As they kissed, he snaked his arm around and began to prepare his lover. Ritsu made a surprised groan at the first finger, and moaned at the second. It felt so…so good.

"Ah…M-Masamune…Mm…m-mooore…Ah!" He was moaning and writhing in ecstasy. Masamune sensed that his lover was ready, and his cock was still slick from Ritsu's oral ministrations. He positioned Ritsu over his cock and slowly brought him down until he was impaled on it.

"Oh…oh…Mmm…." Ritsu's eyes began to water from the pained pleasure. They hadn't had sex in nearly a month! Masamune swore he would never let that happen again. He had to wait a few extra seconds for Ritsu to adjust. He could have moved a bit sooner, but he didn't want to hurt Ritsu. He wanted them both to enjoy it. Suddenly, he felt an animalistic need. He switched their positions so he was pinning Ritsu to the bed and began to fuck him senseless.

"Ahh! Oh…. Masamune! I—ah-ah! Mmm…Nnn…Haa…" Ritsu could no longer think straight. Ritsu was so deliciously tight around his manhood. Masamune began to kiss and nip at his neck, further handicapping Ritsu's ability to form words. Masamune gave him a fresh hickey—or a 'mark of ownership' as he liked to call it. He knew he didn't own Ritsu, it's not like a pet. It was simply marking that they were lovers and others should back off. He couldn't think of a better name though.

"P-please…Ah! Ah!...Nnnngh…N-need…" Masamune glanced down at Ritsu's neglected cock and began to stroke him in time with his thrusts.

"Oh! Masamune! I'm…I'm cumming! Ahhhh!" He came onto their stomachs and the sheets. He panted and his eyes were still watering. Masamune feared for a moment that he was hurting him, but Ritsu began to meet his thrusts, reassuring him that he was fine. Masamune felt his own orgasm build.

"Ritsu!" He came deep within his lover.

_**~End of Lemon~**_

He pulled out and laid next to Ritsu, hugging him close. Ritsu was too exhausted to protest and let himself be held.

"That good, eh?" Masamune teased, closing his eyes.

"Mm…yeah…" His eyes snapped open. RItsu was sleep-talking!

"Mm…How good?"

"So…much…"

"Do you love me?"

"Mm…Baka…of course…" He mumbled. Masamune smiled. Ritsu didn't say it often, and he was glad that Ritsu could even admit it in his dreams.

"I love you, Ritsu."

8888

Ari stared at the toilet.

_No! Oh God, please! No more!_

It wasn't fair, she was finally happy!

She wiped the blood from her mouth and wiped with bloody floor.

Nobody had to know.

**~Kyaaaa!~ So, how was it? There would be more, but I'm tired! SO, here ya go!**

**Please Review!**

**PS – If I did write a novel about Ari and Kano's story, how many of you would be interestd?**


	8. IMPORTANT

**~Kyaaaa!~ Okay, I know most of you will be disappointed at another author's note-chapter. This time, it's really important. My laptop exploded. Literally. I took it in the other day, and the computer guys said it was fine. The next night, I started to smell something odd. I was like 'did mom burn something in the kitchen? Or maybe dad forgot to take the plastic off…' No. It was my computer. It was not quite smoking, but close to it. I can't plug it in or anything. It needs to be worked on, maybe I have to get a new one. I'm on my mom's right now. I'm sorry for leaving you on a cliffy, but I'm also going on vacation. I'll be gone for like 10 days. If I don't update by tomorrow, I probably won't for 10 days. I'm also sick (again) so… yeah. I went home during first period. I threw up quite a bit too… Not that you needed to know that… Anyways, I wanted to thank you guys for being so nice and patient. I will try to update before I leave, but homework comes first! **

**Please leave a review on anything, I don't care what. They make me smile!**

**P.S. I know that when they get jealous, it seems like they don't trust each other, and it's going in circles, but I have a plan! My intent is to show you how their relationship grows!**


	9. Chapter 9

**~Kyaaaa!~ Okay, I am determined to post this before I leave! Since I'm in a rush, there may be some mistakes!**

**Disclaimer!~**

Ari woke up sweating. It was the middle of the night still, so it would be morning in America…. She hoped. She picked up her cell and dialed Ritsu's number.

_**Riiiing! Riiii—**_

"Mm….hello?" a groggy voice answered.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but I had to get up now anyways—"

"Who the hell is it?" Another voice growled.

"Hi, Takano-san!" he simply grumbled. She heard a creaking noise and assumed Ritsu was getting out of bed. She heard Masamune grumble again, but Ritsu shushed him.

"He's still sleeping."

"Oh. Did your date wear him out?"

"N-no! He's just t-tired, that's all!"

"Riiiight. So anyways, how did it go?"

"It went okay. It was fun. We went to Central Park and had a picnic, then we went to the Planetarium—"

"Ugh."

"What?"

"You're such a nerd!"

"Hey!"

"Kidding. Continue."

"That's what I thought. Anyways, he bought me some 'Robin Eggs'—"

"Your favorite! Aww, that's cute!"

"…"

"Sorry…"

"Okay, so… well, that's it." She snorted. "What?"

"You edit books for a living, and yet you're terrible at describing things! Do you even have an imagination?"

"I'm not that bad! And how did your date go?"

"….Fine."

"Uh-oh. One word answer? Did it not work out? Was—"

"It was really fun, okay! We went to an amusement park, got icecream, and… he kissed me!" Ritsu grinned. He chuckled a bit. He knew they'd make a great couple. On the other hand, as a brother-figure, he was worried.

"So, you had a good day?"

"Yeah. It was awesome! When you get back, you have to come too!"

"Maybe. I'm not a huge fan of rollercoasters…"

"I like them! And I like the teacup rides, too! And Kano won me a stuffed tiger. It's blue with big green eyes! She's so cute!"

"Oh?" He smiled. She sounded so happy! "What did you name her?" he was genuinely curious. He didn't care if it was childish. He knew she named all of her stuffed animals.

"Kari! I came up with it when I combined our names!"

"Haha, isn't that a dorky way of naming celebrity couples?"

"Sh-shut up!"

"I'm kidding. Anyways, I was wondering… Do you want to keep the apartment?"

"What?"

"W-well… Masamune and I are thinking about buying the one on the fifth floor—one of the three bedroom ones—and I wanted to know if you'd like to keep mine. I'm going to move the rest of my stuff into Masamune's apartment when we get home, that way we only have to move all of our stuff from one place. If you want to keep it, you'll need to tell the landlady. My lease is up in about a week. And can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Can you put our names in for that apartment on the fifth floor? I want to make sure we have a real chance of getting it."

"Sure. And I'd love to keep this apartment."

"Thanks! So, when's your next date?"

"Huh?"

"With Kano. I assume that you really hit it off…"

"O-oh… Yeah…. I don't think I can do this…"

What? Why?"

"It's… complicated." He was quiet for a moment.

"Ari… I want you both to be happy, and I think you're happy together. I know that you think you don't deserve to be happy, but you do. You're a kind, sweet girl who had a bad life. Don't let it get to you. Kano's a good guy. But if you really don't feel like that, then break it off before he gets too attached."

"I… I know…" She started to cry a little bit. "I want to, it's just that…. I'm s-scared, okay! I've never been in love! And what about my sickness? What if I die? I don't want to do that to him!"

"Ari—"

"I'm scared, Nii-chan! I don't know what to do! P-please just tell me what to do!"

"Ari, I can't tell you. You… you have to choose for yourself. It's your life… And we don't know if the doctors were right! You… you may still have a long life, for all we know! And… if things take a turn for the worse…" His voice cracked, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Th-then I'll be there for you through the whole thing. And I know that Kano would too. He wouldn't abandon you… And why are you bringing this up? You haven't been sick for a while, have you?"

"N-no. I was… I was just saying… Anyways, I gotta go! I'll pack your stuff for you and put your name in! Bye!"

"Arika! I—" _**Click!**_

"Damn it!" He cursed, tossing his cellphone aside. He sat down on the little couch by the little kitchenette. It was rare for a hotel to have those. He sighed and tried to stop crying, but it was hard. He got his breathing under control, but the tears kept falling. Ari brought up something he wished he could forget. He acted like maybe there was a chance, but he knew the chances of her survival were slim. He was terrified that he'd have to watch her die. He started to cry harder at that thought.

"Ritsu, where's—what happened?" Masamune walked in, shocked to see his lover so distraught.

"I-I don't… she's so scared, and I-I can't…." He started to cry more. Masamune walked over to him and leaned towards him.

"I can't do anything if you don't tell me." He remembered Ari's 'gentle prodding' speech. He kissed Ritsu's temple. "Baka, you need to tell me." Ritsu sniffled a bit and blushed slightly.

"Ari… She had a good t-time with Kano, but she's scared. Not of him, but of leaving him. She's scared that she'll die and leave him alone… She's never really been in love before. She had a crush on Nonagaru, but… I don't know what to do! What if she does die? I-I can't! She's like my sister!" He started to cry again. Masamune didn't know what to do for his lover, so he wrapped his arms around him.

"Ritsu… You can't save everybody. You need to care for yourself too. I'm not saying it's bad to worry for her, but try to relax a bit."

"You… you're right. I should be preparing for work…" He still had another day off, but he always tried to prepare in advance.

"Yep. Get to work, slacker!"

"Hey!"

"Well, I _am_ your boss." Ritsu smirked.

"Actually, while you're here… I'm your boss."

"That's right, I—wait, what?"

"You heard me."

"But…I'm the boss."

"Haha, not for the rest of the time you're here!"

"We'll see about that…" He said, smirking evilly before pulling Ritsu into a kiss. He was glad Ritsu was done crying. It was awkward. He never really had to care for anyone but himself, but he better get used to it, he told himself. Ritsu was going to stick around for a long time.

8888

Ari hung up feeling empty. She hadn't meant to make him cry! She never wanted to make him sad! She hugged Kari tighter. She heard a grumble and turned to see Rara sitting on the bed, looking annoyed.

"Sorry, girl. Did I wake you?"

'duh'

"Well, your Highness, you can go back to sleep." Rara laid back down, huffing tiredly. Ari ran her fingers through her chocolaty fur and smiled sadly.

"I know I shouldn't have lied to him… I wonder if I'm really going to die? Well, I hope I stay alive long enough to see your pups. I want to name at least one! I bet they'll be cute!"

'Shut up and sleep'

"…I swear you can talk…"

'What did I just say?'

"Sorry!"

8888

Before they could go any further, the heard a knock at the door. Masamune sighed and followed Ritsu to open the door.

There, in front of them, stood Jack.

**~Kyaaaa!~ Mwahahaha! You know I always leave off on a cliffy! Now you have to wait 10 days (at least!) for the next part! Actually, it wasn't supposed to be a cliffy, but… I'm not feeling so great right now, and I'm on my mom's laptop. So, I'm going to bed.**

**Question of the day: What's your favorite TV show or Movie from when you were a kid?**

**My answers!-**

**TV shows: **_**Scooby-Doo, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Danny Phantom, My life as a Teenage Robot, Samurai Jack, etc**_

**Movies**_**: Scooby-Doo, Alvin and the Chipmunks (new and old), Tarzan, The Aristocats, The little Mermaid, My Girl, Balto, etc…**_

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**~Kyaaa!~ I know I shouldn't be back yet, but I am! Yeah… So we were on vacation, and my dad got a phone call. He walked away for a minute and when he came back, he was all quiet. He and my uncle had to tell us that my cousin died. His funeral is today (Friday). So we had to leave early. I got a new dress and stuff, so I'm kinda… meh. I didn't really know him that well, but it's still sad…**

**After that, a song I haven't listened to since Hunter (oh yeah, I forgot to tell you my friend's name—the one that died) died. It really made me think of him, and it was hard not to cry. **

**Seeing all of your nice reviews really made me smile! Thank you so much!**

**P.S. –The song is called 'Save Me' by Morandi**

"**+English+" "Japanese" **

**Disclaimer!**

"+J-Jack!+"

"+What?+"

"+Y-you're here!+"

"+Yeah.+"

"+…Why?+" Masamune was quite amused by his lover's actions, though he did not know why he was so flustered. Perhaps nobody except Angel knew he was gay at this office? This could be fun…

"+Sorry to intrude on you, boss, but I was in the neighborhood…+" _And I wanted to see if you'd go to a café with me, but I guess you have a guest…._

"Oh, I see. Is there something you need?+"

"+Ritsu, aren't you going to let our guest in?+"

"+O-oh yeah! How rude of me! Please, come in, Jack.+"

"+'Kay.+" Jack stepped in and shrugged off his light jacket. He tossed it onto the couch and sat down next to it. Masamune got a good look at him for the first time. He was kind of pale, a small yet muscular build, grey eyes, and he was taller than Ritsu. Well, it wasn't that hard to be taller than Ritsu… He glanced at his lover with confusion.

"+Oh, Jack, this is T—Masamune Takano.+" He had to remember that in America and France they say the surname last. Jack extended a hand and Masamune took it.

"+Jaques Raunier, but everyone calls me 'Jack'. I'm one of Ritsu's co-workers. You?+"

"+Same. Actually, I'm his boss.+"

"+Not while you're here, you're not!+" Ritsu reminded him. Masamune rolled his eyes. _Oh, so it's just his boss? Then maybe I still have a chance?_

"+Yeah yeah.+" Masamune blinked in confusion. Did he see relief in those grey eyes when he said he was Ritsu's boss? Uh-oh. _Better squash that hope before it becomes something serious…_

Ritsu sat beside Masamune on the other end of the couch and felt himself being tugged towards his boss/lover. He felt Masamune lay an arm over his shoulder. He instantly knew what was going on. _That idiot! He doesn't need to 'mark his territory'! I'm not an object!_ He saw a flash of confusion and hurt cross Jack's eyes. Jack stood up and grabbed his jacket. He walked to the door and opened it, calling back,

"Well, I better get going now. Oh, and before I forget, Angel wanted me to remind you of the Marukawa-Picnic tomorrow. Almost all of us will be there. You can bring your _boss_, if you want." He sounded bitter as he said the word 'boss'. He didn't even look back as he shut the door.

Ritsu smacked Masamune on the arm.

"Ouch… What was that for?" It didn't really hurt, but it surprised him.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" _Feigning innocence—he's gullible. _

"_That! _You know, put your arm around me!"

"What, I can't show you affection?"

"Not in front of Ja-people!" Masamune narrowed his eyes. He could have sworn that Ritsu had been about to say 'Not in front of Jack'. Ritsu didn't… _No, he wouldn't do that… But Jack could have—no, I don't think Ritsu would fall for that… But was he thinking about it?... Nah. I'm just too paranoid I suppose…_

"Masamune… You need to trust me more. He doesn't like me like that." _At least he told me that he didn't, I bet he was just a bit hurt because one of my reasons was my being his boss…. I'm a hypocrite…_

"If you say so…" _Maybe I did just imagine it… Yeah, he isn't really after my Ritsu…. "_So, what's this about a picnic?" Ritsu sighed.

"There's supposed to be a company picnic tomorrow. I didn't really think you'd want to go, so…"

"Do _you_ want to go?"

"Well, not particularly…" _He is so lying._

"I wouldn't mind going, especially if it means another date with you."

"Really? Okay. Hey, wait! This isn't a—mmph!" Masamune silenced him with a kiss. Ritsu moaned little. Masamune smiled on the inside. He was glad that the whole 'Jack' thing hadn't turned into a fight. He felt Ritsu harden as he pulled him closer.

"That was fast," He chuckled. Ritsu turned scarlet.

"Sh-shut up!"

"Not saying that it's a bad thing. Here, feel me too." He grabbed Ritsu's hand and led it to his now-growing erection.

"Y-you—"

"I want you."

"I-I w-want you, too…"

"Good." Masamune kissed him again, slowly and passionately, letting Ritsu's taste stain his mouth. Ritsu wrapped his arms around Masamune's neck and intertwined his fingers in Masamune's hair. When they finally pulled apart for air, Ritsu was gasping.

"W-wait! W-we shouldn't do this!"

"What? Why not?" Masamune growled.

"W-well… If we're going to that picnic, we have to get up kind of early!"

"…It's only like noon…"

"I-I know, but I—Ah! S-stop that!—was going to run to the store and get a few things and make a dish to take…"

"But you want to, too!"

"Th-that's not the point!"

"Then go later," He nipped at Ritsu's jaw, making him squirm. "This is now."

"B-but it's Sunday!"

"So?"

"The store I want to go to closes early on Sunday!"

"…Damn it, why couldn't you have thought of this earlier?"

"I'm sorry…" _Damn, did I really sound so harsh?_ He sighed and ruffled Ritsu's hair.

"No, it's fine. You go to the store and I'll take a shower."

"But I thought you already took one?"

"A cold, cold shower."

"But why—oh." He blushed again and grabbed his jacket. "Again, I'm sorry."

"Yeah yeah… you owe me."

"F-fine." He pulled Masamune to him and kissed his lips. But it was only briefly. Masamune knew that Ritsu had lost that rare spark of boldness he'd had yesterday. Ritsu walked out of the door and Masamune took his cold shower… twice. When he got out and got dressed, Ritsu still wasn't back yet. He sighed and opened his French Dictionary—his _**special**_ one.

"…I am definitely going to get him with this one…" He grinned a wolfish grin and waited for his lover to return.

**~Kyaaaa!~ Okay, sorry for the cock-block, but after going to that funeral today, I just couldn't do it. I'll add a lemon to the next chapter, okay?**

**Question of the day: What do you do when you're really sad?**

**My answer: Um, not much really. It's a bad idea for me to write though. I fell asleep when I was sad and had a dream about this story… Let's just say that if I wrote that ending, so amny of you would kill me. It was one of the worst tragedies ever. Ritsu died! T-T It was a horrible death, too! I usually watch movies if I am sad, or I go for a walk to clear my head.**

**Please Review!**

**P.S. If you listen to that's song—'Save Me' by Morandi, let me know what you think. It's not my fave, but it's special to me…**


	11. Chapter 11

**~Kyaaaa!~ I know it's been awhile, but please don't be angry with me! I had a lot to do. Right now, I'm kind of depressed… It's because there's nobody in my town that I can relate to. I don't know any other Yaoi fans, or anime fans in general… I don't know why, but people tend to just not like me.**

**I suppose I'm just lonely now I am tempted to ask if I can move schools. I try not to be depressed, but it's hard to be alone most of the time. I can be alone and be content, but even I need some company sometimes…**

**I also have like 3 or 4 doctor appointments **

**I NEED TO STOP LEAVING DEPRESSING NOTES, GAH!**

**Anyways, I noticed that most chapters mostly focus on Ritsu's actions and thoughts, so this will be Masamune-centric kind of…**

**Disclaimer**

Masamune sighed. _Damn, I didn't even get to use my 'special' French for him…_ He thought as they sat on the couch, watching some movie. His lover had been at the market for a long time before returning and going straight to the little kitchen-area. He was still surprised that it had one. It was small, of course. This hotel was more like an apartment complex, he thought absently. While he was a bit disappointed at just sitting on the couch, he started to not mind as much. It was kind of nice…

Ritsu watched the movie intently. He hadn't seen any good movies lately, but this one wasn't bad. This wasn't his favorite genre. This was a thriller, and he wasn't very good at those. He didn't remember the name. The next scene made him jump so bad he all but fell onto Masamune, hugging him. Masamune knew it was only because of the movie, but he liked it when Ritsu depended on him. Even if it was just a little bit.

He supposed '_The Crazies' _wasn't bad. He had to hide a small chuckle as Ritsu jumped at the next part. Luckily, Ritsu didn't notice. Masamune smiled slightly and wrapped his arm around his lover.

"That's the wife and son of that guy he shot earlier, right?"

"Yes." He grumbled.

Normally, he hated it when people talked during movies, but—no, it still annoyed him. It didn't matter that it was Ritsu. He hated it. When he was younger, his parents would bicker in quiet voices, thinking he couldn't hear them. Of course, he could. One time, he told them to get out, and they had started to yell at him, too. He finally just said 'fuck it' and shoved them out of the room. He finished the movie without interruptions. He got so used to watching them alone that now he couldn't stand any interruptions—not even his lover's voice. Though, he had to admit that it wasn't as bad as other things.

When the movie was over, he went to stand up so he could take the DVD out of the player, but Ritsu didn't move.

"You know, I can't get up with you there…"

"…"

"Ritsu?"

"Mm…Senpai…"

He was asleep. He was still laying on—and hugging—Masamune in his sleep. Masamune decided he didn't mind waiting a bit. After about fifteen minutes, his bladder had different ideas. He had two choices….

He scooped Ritsu up, bridal style, and carried him back to the room they shared. Laying him down on the bed, he stopped for a second, admiring his lover. His chestnut hair was askew, framing his face cutely. His lips slightly opened in an 'o' shape and his cheeks were slightly pink. Masamune never noticed his eyelashes before. They weren't long, but not short either. They barely touched his cheek. They were not black, to his surprise, but very dark brown. He didn't know that could happen unless you were blonde. He'd dated a few blondes before, and they'd had pale eyelashes. Not like it mattered though. The longest relationship he'd had after Ritsu was Yokozawa, and that had only lasted about… two months? He still felt bad about that…

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He went to the bathroom and did his business. He washed his face and shook his head again. _The past is the past…. _He hoped that's what Ritsu believed too. He had murmured 'senpai' in his sleep again. He didn't do it often, but it made Masamune feel a bit insecure. Was he only doing this because of the past they shared? Was it still 'Saga Senpai' that Ritsu was in love with? He splashed water on his face again and wiped it off with a towel. He walked back into the living room and laid on the couch for a little bit. He reached for his jacket and grabbed his cigarettes out of it. He was about to light one when he remembered Ritsu's plead for him to stop. He chewed his lip thoughtfully for a moment before lighting up. Hey, it was going to take a while anyways. He'd start when he got home.

Ahh, the nicotine. He blew some smoke to the side and decided to make a call. He really didn't want to make this call, but something just told him that he should. He was calling his mother. Something he hadn't done in two years.

"Hello?"

"Why the hell do _you_ have her phone?" he snarled.

"M-Masamune?" Surokru stuttered. "W-what are—"

"She called me earlier, so I was calling her back." He stated, annoyed.

"Well, Mom's at the store—"

"Why do you have her phone?"

"She forgot it."

"Of course she did."

"I don't know why we got her one. She never answers it, or she leaves it at home."

"No kidding."

"…Did we just have a regular conversation?"

"…No."

"Yes we did. See, we can get along. I'm willing to try. Look, I'm really sorry about the whole Ritsu thing—" Masamune coughed "And I want to make it up to you. Is Ritsu there? Can I talk to hi—"

"Didn't I tell you to leave us the fuck alone, Suroku? I meant it. I almost lost him for good after that stunt you pulled. If I see you so much as _look_ at him, I'll kick your ass. Again." He growled. He found himself in a very sour mood. Funny how fast talking to his family did that.

"O-Oh… But I really am sorry! I want to apologize to you, too. I realized that I was wrong to blame you. I was just jealous, I suppose. Please, please at least consider forgiving me?"

"You—"

"I know I don't deserve it, but please…."

"So you know."

"Know what?"

"Who Ritsu actually is." He hesitated. Bingo.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"So you don't know that he's the heir to Onodera Publishing? That he was engaged to your now-girlfriend, An-chan? That she loves him like a brother?"

"…N-nope.."

"Liar."

"…So? You wouldn't answer my calls from before, so I gave up. Then when I found that out… If An finds out, she'd kill me!" Masamune highly doubted that An could kill a fly.

"And I should care why?"

"Don't. I don't care anymore. Be bitter."

"I will."

"I just wanted—" _I thought we were done! _"—to try to make amends with you before we leave."

"Whatever."

He continued as though Masamune had said 'where' instead of 'whatever'.

"We're about to fly to New York, An-chan is checking our luggage in. Mom went to get us some last-minute things and left her phone on the table. An-chan's company is going to meet with Marukawa at some picnic tomorrow."

"…"

"Masa—" _**Click**_

So his half-brother and Ritsu's ex-fiancée were going to be there too.

Just fucking great.

_Time for another cigarette…_

_8888_

He was on his third cigarette when it happened. He rolled over so he was facing the back of the couch.

"Masamune!"

Oh shit.

"Masamune, I know you saw me!"

"I'm sleeping…"

"I can see the cigarette in your hand!"

"How did that get there?"

"MASAMUNE!"

"What?"

"There are three other cigarette-butts on the coffeetable! Don't tell me those 'magically appeared as well?"

"…"

"I thought I asked you to cut back! You said you would!"

"And I told you it doesn't happen overnight!"

"You're smoking more than usual! You usually only smoke two in the evening…"

"I'm under stress. Plenty of people do this."

"It's bad for you, and this hotel doesn't allow smoking!"

"…"

"Why are you stressed anyways?"

"The picnic." Ritsu thought for a moment. Was this his own fault?

"I said we didn't have to go…" He trailed off, looking like a kicked puppy. _Maybe it is my fault… _Masamune back-pedaled.

"It's not you, it's…" He didn't know what to say. How would he react to hearing that Suroku was coming? And An-chan? He didn't want to rub salt in the healing wound. Ritsu took his sileance as an answer. He thought he must have been going to say 'It's not you, it's me'. That stupid cliché line...

"Fine. Just go to bed. I have something to do in the kitchen." And with that cold reply, he walked away. Masamune sighed. This certainly wasn't the night he had planned.

"Are… are you coming back to bed soon?" He asked carefully.

"I'll go to sleep in a little bit." Came a very clipped reply.

8888

Waking up in the morning, Masamune expected a warm body next to him. Not _this_ body though. Sorata stretched lazily and wriggled around on the top of Ritsu's pillow. She opened one eye lazily and yawned. He sighed and she glared at him as if it offended her that he would rather have Ritsu. He reached up and stroked her back, making her purr. He yawned and stretched himself before getting up.

When he walked in the other room, he saw Ritsu on the couch. He must have spent the night there. That made him frown. Had it really meant so much o Ritsu? Had he really hurt his feelings that badly? He really didn't like the idea of Ritsu deliberately sleeping on the couch when he had open space in his bed.

_Just fucking perfect._

**~Kyaaa~ I'm finally done! This took forever! I know it may be boring, but I decided to do it anyways. Again. Sorry for the cliffy, but this was taking too long. Next chapter is the picnic, I swear!**

**Question of the day: What's a good book/series you have read recently? This can include manga.**

**Please Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**~Kyaaaa!~ I know I should probably be updating 'Early Lovin' soon, but oh well. So I went to one of my doctor appointments, and had to get blood drawn. As I have said before, I have small veins, so it really hurts. They couldn't get to a good one, so it hurt even worse! They barely got enough out! –shiver- I hate hospitals.**

**Man, I was half-asleep while writing the previous chapter. I didn't mean to say that Suroku and An were coming, but I can work with it…**

**I made up the title 'Red Sun Rapture'. If it has already been used, I have no knowledge of that.**

**Disclaimer!**

Ritsu woke up and sat up to stretch. When he turned around, he was met by the unhappy gaze of Masamune.

"Why did you sleep on the couch?"

Ritsu was surprised. Masamune sounded hurt and a bit angry. Was it really such a big deal? He didn't think so. He didn't understand why Masamune was angry.

"Because I was finishing up another dish and it took longer than I thought. I didn't want to wake you by getting in the bed." Masamune looked surprised.

"Oh. I thought it was something else… Anyways, next time, you won't sleep on the couch. You will come to bed with me. I don't care what time it is. I want you to wake up by my side." Ritsu blushed crimson.

"B-baka! Don't say such things! It was only one night, anyways!"

"I don't care." He kissed Ritsu's forehead, which really didn't help the whole blushing thing. Something still nagged at his mind though…

"Wait, what else would it have been?" Masamune cursed himself for bringing that up. Before he could say anything, Ritsu remembered.

"Hey! I'm still mad at you!" He pushed Masamune away, but the man was too stubborn. He pulled him right back. "Masamune! S-stop! I-I'm mad at you!"

"I don't want to 's-stop'," he mocked Ritsu's breathless tone when he said 'stop'. He kissed Ritsu's lips, making him stop struggling. Ritsu mentally kicked himself. He should have seen that coming! When they pulled apart, he was panting.

"F-fine. I forgive you," he said. "But please try to cut back a little bit! Last time I went to see my mother, she accused me of smoking! She was all hysterical and wouldn't listen to me at all! Plus, it's really bad for you. Why did you smoke so much? Did… Was it me? I mean, if you didn't want to go with me—"

"No, it wasn't you…" He trailed off looking troubled.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"…"

"Masamune, if you don't tell me, I'll assume that you want to break up—"

"NO!"

"Then what is it? You're driving me crazy!"

"Well… What if… hypothetically… I said Suroku would be coming to the park too?" He glanced up to see Ritsu's annoyed expression.

"What does that have to do with anything? Just answer the damn question!" _Ritsu, I love you, but you're so dense…_

"Well… I was calling my mother last night and—"

"You never call your mother! Was there something wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"No, I was returning her call, now stop interrupting. Anyways, Suroku answered—" Ritsu blanched and paled. The hurt in his eyes hurt Masamune as well. "—and he told me that he and—" he cut himself off. He wasn't sure he wanted to tell Ritsu about An coming. He didn't like her. It wasn't her fault, but he didn't want her there. He was afraid of Ritsu's reaction. Ritsu must have been taking his silence for something else. He closed his mouth in a tight line and got off the couch. Masamune quickly pulled him back down.

"Let go!"

"No. Hear me out. It wasn't like that. I already told you, you're the only one I love."

"Then what is it?" He asked tiredly.

"…An-chan is coming too…." Ritsu's face went from depressing to annoyed. "What?"

"That's it? That's what was bothering you? You had me worried! Of course she's coming! They have to promote Kohinata-Arakashi Publishing/Translations! Their company doesn't publish as much now. They do mostly Translations since the head of Arakashi-san's family died. That's why our engagement is—was—so important. If we were to combine our companies, it would promote both and raise standards and such. Why did it bother you?"

"…Because."

" 'Because' why?" He narrowed his eyes. "Masamune?"

"Because… she's your ex-fiancée…"

"So?"

"So? How am I supposed to react? I don't want her near you at all!"

"But I don't love her that way! We've talked about this…."

"I know… But still… I don't know what I'd do if I lost you…" He bowed his head. Yes he did. He would go nuts. Ritsu sighed. He leaned back into Masamune and pulled his face back up to face him. Surprisingly, he kissed him. Not briefly either. He pulled Masamune in for a long, deep kiss. Masamune moaned in surprise and Ritsu pulled back. They couldn't start this now. They had to be at the park in a little bit. He was a bit disappointed to his own surprise. He did want this, but not now. Well… maybe a little bit—_No, I can't! Later… Did I just think that?_ Masamune looked at him. Half in wonder, and half in confusion.

"I…I only love you, you big moron. I don't know why, but I do. I'm not going to just run away… We've been together since early December, and that was about five and a half months ago. If I didn't love you, would I still be here?"

"You're right. I'm sorry." Ritsu's jaw dropped in mock surprise. "What?"

"Did the 'great demon editor' just apologize?"

"Shut up."

"Don't you mean, 'shut up, boss'?" Masamune glared. "Too far?"

"Definitely."

"Am I in trouble?" He asked in a sarcastic voice.

"_Definitely." _He looked up to see Masamune grinning evilly. "Especially when we get back."

"I-I was kidding!"

"_I_ wasn't."

8888

Kano was pacing. Ari wouldn't answer his calls. Had he done something wrong? He hugged Shika closer and looked into the plastic blue eyes.

"Does she not like me anymore?"

"…"

"So… I should go see her?"

"…"

"You're right." He sat his friend down and grabbed his keys. He also made sure to grab a hat and sunglasses. He didn't want to risk a fangirl-attack. He was a mangaka, but he also dabbled a bit in acting. He decided that he didn't like it as much. If he was going to act, he'd rather act in a movie he had written. One that he had just starred in—well, it was shot a year ago, but they were only just now releasing it—was coming out Friday. It was called 'Red Sun Rapture'. He was going to tell Ritsu and the rest of them, but then he went to America. He supposed he could call him later, but right now he had more on his mind. He glanced back at his stuffed companion one more time before walking out the door.

7777

Ari felt so bad. She couldn't take Kano's calls. It wasn't that she didn't like him. She really did. She was scared though. Her past taste hadn't been very good when it came to men. Only one had dared to hit her, and one of her friends hadn't taken kindly to that. She wondered if that guy was out of the hospital yet… The only one she actually hadn't made a bad call on was dead. And he hadn't returned his feelings. But as long as she was by his side, she could be happy. When he died, she had felt like her world had shattered. It hadn't helped when Toka had suggested living in the hospital or in a group-home. It made her feel so helpless. She loved him dearly—he was the closest thing to a real father she'd ever had—but she couldn't do that. She could take care of herself.

She curled up on the couch with Rara and stroked her chocolaty fur. She buried her face in the crook of Rara's neck.

"What do I do, Rara? I can't ask Ritsu…"

"…"

"_Now_ you're silent?"

"…."

"…Thanks for that. The one time I actually ask for it, you don't give advice. I seriously think I may be crazy…. Talking to a dog…"

She turned on the TV. Nothing was interesting, so she flipped around until suddenly she saw a picture of Kano pop up. A young news anchor with an annoyingly high voice. She was grinning and giggling.

"—is a highly anticipated movie. Famous Mangaka/novelist, Ikimoto Kano, is playing the lead character, Umita Takeshi, in this action/thriller/romance. It appears that this writer has more than one skill! 'Red Sun Rapture' is coming out this Friday, so girls, pace yourselves!"

_**Click**_

She rolled her eyes. _Teenage fads_… She remembered hearing about the movie and she thought it sounded cool, but she didn't know Kano was in it. _I wonder why he didn't tell me… Gah, I need to stop thinking about him. It would be better for both of us…_

_**Knock Knock Knock**_

"I wonder who that could be…" She didn't really know anyone here… She walked to the door and opened it cautiously.

"K-Kano?"

"Did I do something wrong?" Was the first thing he said. She stepped back and let him in, still not saying anything. She was really surprised. Rara only raised her head lazily and huffed in greeting. "Was the date bad? I thought you were having fun… Was I too forward? Do you not like me anymore?" His blue eyes shone with hurt. She hadn't meant to hurt him.

"N-no! I just… I do like you… Too much…"

"What?"

"I mean… You know I'm sick, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I don't want to burden you with something like that… "

"It's not a burden. You already knew that I'm schizophrenic, but you still agreed to go out with me." He pointed out.

"So? Just because you have… Damn it, you're trying to make me seem like a hypocrite, aren't you?"

"Well, if you try to end it over something like that, then yes, yes I am."

"But… I… I don't want to hurt you!" Her voice cracked and he saw tears well up in the golden eyes he loved. He stepped closer and hugged her close.

"The only way you could hurt me is by breaking up with me. I may not have known you very long—only about a month and a half—but I think I love you. Please don't push me away. I don't care if you're sick! I'll hold your hand and be with you every step of the way! I want to take care of you. You don't have to be alone. Please? Let me love you."

"…I…I'm…"

"Please?" He whispered into her hair.

"…Okay…"

And they kissed.

8888

Ritsu winced. The picnic was an absolute disaster already. Not for anyone else. Just for him… He and Angel had knocked heads while playing a game. Now both were sitting there with ice-packs. Angel started to laugh uncontrollably.

"What?" He snapped. He had a headache.

"It's just that… we're both athletically-challenged! Haha, sports-retarded! Bwahaha, that was great! At least now we're done making fools of ourselves out there anymore!" She pointed out to where they were starting a new game. She had a point. He wasn't bad—he was horrible. He had hated gym class in highschool, and still hated playing sports now. He'd much rather read. That was the one and only time he had skipped class. He didn't want to go to gym, so he had gone up to the roof… where he met Saga-senpai… He hadn't talked to him yet. This was one of the first times he had ever seen him out of the library. He also had a book…. Ritsu shook his head and winced at the pain it caused. Suddenly, he heard Angel gasp. He looked up just in time to see Jack collide with Masamune.

_Oh shit_

**~Kyaaa~! At least this was a semi-long chapter! What will happen with Jack and Masamune? Where are Suroku and An? Why do I ask these questions when I don't even know the answers? Well, I do have some ideas.**

**IMPORTANT Question of the day: Would you like me to write a Junjou series when this is over? It will be going on at around the same time, so you would see Misaki break his arm and his and Usagi-san's relationship grow and stuff.**

**Please answer that question.**

**Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**~Kyaaaa!~ I'm soooo happy right now! I got my laptop back! My precious baby! At my house, you can'y just have one laptop. It doesn't work that way! We all have to fight for it and crap… So anyways, I will try to finish this today (Sunday) 'cause I'm in a good mood. I don't know if I will though. I have school tomorrow and it's kind of late…**

**Okay, since almost every review I got said 'YES' to the Junjou series, I will write one! It will be after this series, and I don't know what to call it yet…**

**Wait, before I start, I need to tell you that I'm sorry! I PROMISE to write the next part of 'Early Lovin' soon. It should be out by Wednesday if I can get to it in time!**

**I also am trying to add more Masamune-centric parts. I don't want to make it all about Ritsu all of the time. **

**Disclaimer!**

Masamune was glad Ritsu had invited him. Even if it meant seeing his half-brother and that girl again. They went to another park like Central, but not as big. He wasn't paying attention to the name. Ritsu sat his two dishes down on a large picnic table that was already full of other dishes. Many of them looked delicious, but in his opinion, Ritsu's looked the best. He wasn't just saying that because they were lovers. He was saying it because it did. He had made a cinnamon-butter pecan-apple-caramel cake. He had no idea when or how Ritsu had learned to make it, but he was very thankful.

When the announcement came for the football (American football) game to begin, he noticed that he hadn't seen his step-brother or An at all. Not that he minded. He figured that if they stayed until after the first two games, and then he let Ritsu talk to a few people, they could leave before he saw either one. It was the perfect plan.

Well, the first game ended after five minute. He heard the whistle blow and turned to see what was wrong. He wasn't expecting to see Angel Ritsu holding their heads and groaning. He rushed to his lover's side, making sure he was okay. When he found out what had happened, he had to turn around to hide his chuckle. Ritsu had hated sports in highschool too. He remembered looking out of the library window at the track field and watching him do a nose-dive after tripping on a hurtle. He started to snicker even harder at the memory. He felt Ritsu smack his shoulder for it, but he couldn't stop. He kissed Ritsu's forehead and went to the starting line before his lover could smack him again. It didn't really hurt, but it was the principle of the thing. He glanced up to see Ritsu and Angel getting ice-packs and sitting on a blanket. She started to laugh and he was starting to think that maybe they knocked heads a bit _too _hard…

_**SCHWEEEEE!**_

He took off like a rocket when the whistle blew. He was close behind the line-backer when all of a sudden,

_**CRASH!**_

He felt all of the air leave his lungs as he was tackled to the ground. _Wait, why was I tackled? I don't even have the ball…_ He shoved the body off of him and looked up to see Jack.

"Why did you tackle me?" He asked breathlessly.

"I dunno… Rookie hazing?" But there was something in his eyes that told Masamune that he was lying. Sure enough, Jack's eyes wandered over to Ritsu.

_Oh, it's so on!_

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Suddenly, Ritsu felt an odd chill go down his spine. He shivered and blinked, only to be met with the sight of Masamune and Jack staring at him (not even listening to the Ref. that was yelling at them). Suddenly a look of understanding crossed Masamune's face and he looked at Jack with narrowed eyes.

_Uh-oh_

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_If it's a duel he wants, it's a duel he shall get. _Masamune thought. _I sound like a cliché movie, but I'll be damned if I let him win, especially in front of Ritsu._ He knew he didn't really have to prove himself in this way, but he suddenly felt the need to show his lover that he could.

_What the hell is this, a duel for my hand? I'm not a freaking girl!_ Ritsu practically screamed in his head. When the Ref asked if they were to injured to keep playing, they both declined. The game went on, and both had their fair shares of injuries and victories. In the end, Masamune's team won. Jack seethed silently and went to sign up for the short-distance race. Masamune followed him, but Ritsu noticed him slightly liming. The race didn't start for a few minutes yet, so Masamune went back to where Ritsu was sitting and sat down beside him and lit a cigarette.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ritsu immediately yelled.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"You…you…" He was absolutely fuming now. "Number one, didn't we just have the 'smoking' talk?"

"Yes. And you should reward me."

"For what? You're smoking right now!"

"Yes, but by now I have usually already smoked at least two. This is my first one of the day." He said cheerfully. Apparently, Ritsu didn't like that answer. He gritted his teeth and glared at him.

"Second, where the hell do you get off on signing up for every event Jack does? Aren't you hurt?"

"…I'm not hurt."

"Stop evading the question, and yes, you are. I saw you limping."

"It's just a scratch. And you should feel honored to have me as your champion."

"Champion? I'M NOT A PRINCESS, DAMN IT!" Masasmune smirked. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around Ritsu and kissed him. Ritsu immediately pushed him back. "What the hell was that!" He hissed. But then the realization dawned on him and he glanced around. Sure enough, there was Jack. Hurt briefly flashed in his eyes before he set his jaw stubbornly and forced a smile. He extended a hand to Masamune.

"May the best man win," His eyes gave nothing away, but the way he squeezed Masamune's hand sure did. He squeezed back, equally as hard.

"I plan to." He declared.

"_**All of the runners for the short distance run must be lined up in one minute!"**_

Jack looked from Masamune to Ritsu, smiled, and then walked to the line. Masamune growled. But as he turned back to Ritsu, he was smiling.

"What?" Ritsu asked, irritated.

"Kiss me."

"W-what?"

"I am your Champion, therefore you must kiss me before battle. You of all people should know this, Mr. Literature Editor." Ritsu was about to protest, but then he just thought 'fuck it'. He knew Masamune would just kiss him anyways, and this would be faster. He kissed Masamune's cheek very briefly and pulled back quickly. Masamune pouted.

"What was that? I want a real kiss."

"Well, in the books, the Champion always gets kissed _on the cheek_. Aren't you glad I know these things?" He asked smugly. Masamune glared at him and went to the starting line. Ritsu crossed his arms and grumbled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Angel cried, smacking his arm.

"What did I do?"

"You have two gorgeous men fighting over you, and you're trying to _**stop **_them? You should encourage it! Just think, if you cheer him on, what will happen when you get home?" She fangirled on and on. He blushed. He could guess _exactly_ what would happen.

Part of him was a bit touched that Masamune was doing this for him, but the majority wanted to bash his head against the wall.

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_**BANG!**_

The race was on. Right away, anyone watching could tell it was really just between the two of them. They left the others in the dust. Masamune kept pace perfectly even though his ankle hurt like hell. It was more than just a scratch. He feared that he may have sprained it. Somehow, he kept running. He was panting and he looked to his right. Jack wasn't in much better shape. He cast a sideways glance at Masamune and grinned as if to say 'I'm great.' Masamune gritted his teeth and ran faster.

_**BANG!**_

He felt his chest touch the ribbon and ge gradually slowed down. He was confused. He had felt the ribbon, but it had felt like…

"_**Oh, folks, it looks like we have a tie between…. Masamune Takano and Jaques—"**_

"Fuck!" He cursed under his breath. He looked up to meet Jack's stormy grey eyes.

_Next Event_

It went on like that for a long time. They tied in almost every event. Jack won the long jump, and Masamune won the cane toss. Their scores were tied up. _What the hell is with all of these events, anyways? It's not the fucking Olympics!_ Ritsu mentally groaned. After every event, Masamune would come back and have Ritsu give him a 'boost' again. As the runners were lining up for the final race,

"Hey, Ritsu." Ritsu froze and his eyes went wide.

"S-Suroku?" 

**~KYA!~ DAMN IT ALL! MY LAPTOP CRASHED AGAIN! UGH! Luckily, I have a warranty. They better give me a new one! I'm sorry, but I had to rush a bit before it wipes my flashdrive! Please don't hate me!**

**I had someone ask if I made Ryo, Shinco, Ari, Kano, and Miko up, and the answer is yes. I made them all up. Rara too.**

**Please Review! If you do, I will update faster!**


	14. Chapter 14

**~Kyaaa!~ So… I know I've been gone for awhile, but I haven't been feeling great. I had to get more tests done. That sucked. So… I feel like writing now, but I'm reeeaaallly tiiirrreeed. I will try to get this posted today (Sunday).**

**This chapter is all English, so I didn't do the +English+ thing**

**Disclaimer!**

Masamune and Jack lined up right next to each other. They gave each other a feral smile and turned to face the track. First one to complete three laps wins.

"_**Ready….Set….GO!"**_

And they were off.

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Ritsu was still frozen. He had forgotten about Suroku coming! Suroku was getting impatient. If An came back before they could make up…

"Oi, Ritsu—"

"G-go away. I d-don't want to talk to you!"

"Hey, what did I—wait, don't answer that. Just hear me out," he pleaded. Ritsu's chest ached just from looking at Suroku. He knew that Masamune didn't really sleep with him, but it still hurt to know that the man had tried to hurt them. "I really don't—"

"Please, just leave us alone!" He begged. He suddenly became lightheaded and turned away.

"Is there a _problem_ here, Ritsu?" An ominous voice asked. Suroku turned to see a girl with brown bangs and black hair. Her blue eyes narrowed at Suroku and he returned her glare.

"No, there's no problem—"

"I was asking _Ritsu."_

"Ri-chan! Hey!"

"…A-An-chan?"

_Oh great…_

_8888_

Ari sighed, content. She leaned her head on Kano's chest and pulled the blanket tighter. With her, Kano, and Rara on the couch, it was crowded. But she didn't care. It was cozy. They were watching some anime, one Ritsu had helped with. It was good, but he was right. They did cut out a lot of it.

"Hey, when do you think Ari will have her puppies?" Kano suddenly asked. She sat up, and he suddenly wished he hadn't said anything. He liked having her laying on him like that. She leaned over to Rara and felt her stomach. She seemed to be doing an exam of some sort.

"Hmm… I think she's really close to it… Maybe a week? Two at most…"

"Yay!" He grinned.

"What?"

"When she has them, I want a puppy! Shinzo said I could have one if I took care of it!" He explained matter-of-factly as if he were a child telling an adult. She smiled at him. She wanted one too. She sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think Ritsu would let me keep one. He thinks I need help on my own anyways…"

"Well, when I get one, we can share it. Let's name it together, and when you come over, or I come over here, you can see him/her!" She giggled. "What's so funny?"

"You." She said, kissing his cheek.

"How?"

"You can be so sweet, then you can act so loving, and you try to dote on me so much. Thank you. But I don't want you to feel like you have to—"

"I don't. I know I don't _have_ to, but I _want_ to. You have made me so happy. I..I know we have only known each other for about two or three months and only had one date, but… I… I think I love you…" He trailed off, blushing. She bushed too.

"I-I… I think I love you, too…" She stammered. He pulled her in and kissed her lips softly.

"Will…. Will you go on another date with me?"

"Sure. Um, when is it?"

"This Friday."

"B-but isn't that your movie premier night?" He nodded and smiled. It finally sunk in a moment later. "O-oh! You want _me_ to be your date?"

"Well, duh. Of course I want my girlfriend as my date."

"B-but what about Naoyu? You know, your pretty co-star?" _Is… is she pouting? _He grinned and tried to hide his chuckle. "What?" She snapped.

"Are… Are you _jealous?" _ He was flat out laughing now. She got mad and stood abruptly.

"Nope. Not one bit. I'm suddenly very tired. You know where the door is—" He pulled her back to the couch and kissed her forehead.

"There's no need to be jealous. 'Cause I only like you. I want you to be my date."

"W-well, when you put it that way… okay…" He grinned at her. "Before we go though, I need to pack Ritsu's stuff. He asked me to put his name in for one of those big apartments upstairs—"

"I'll help you."

"Really?"

"Of course. As long as snacks are provided." He teased. She grinned.

"I have cookies and juice." She laughed at his horrified expression and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I didn't bake them. I bought them."

"Thank God!"

"Hey!"

8888

Masamune grinned. Sure his leg hurt like a bitch. Sure he was exhausted. But he was winning. He was slightly ahead of Jack, and it was their final lap. He hoped Ritsu was watching. Suddenly a blonde blur shot past him. He sped up, but he couldn't catch up. The blonde shot him and Jack a salute before crossing the finish-line.

"Fuck dammit!" He cursed. At least he came in second… When he crossed the finish-line, he sank to his knees. _Maybe it is more than just a scratch…_ he felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. He looked up to see Jack's stormy eyes staring back at him.

"What?" he growled. Jack raised his hands in surrender.

"Whoa. I give. I can't do this anymore. You win." He extended a hand. "Truce?"

"For now." He said, shaking his hand. After Jack walked away, he looked up to where Ritsu was, about to smile and wave, when he saw them. An-chan was smiling and rambling. Suroku was talking quietly to Ritsu, who looked miserable, and Angel was yelling at Suroku.

Suddenly, he had plenty of energy.

**~Kyaaa~ I know that was short and not very good, but I wanted to update! Sorry! **

**Question of the day: Where do you go when you want to be alone and think?**

**Please Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**~Kyaaa!~ Lol, sorry for the previous crappy chapter. Many of you pointed out my typo, haha. Yeah, I had hardly any sleep. I will correct it eventually. I am also sorry for the cliffy. Thank you for your nice reviews! I don't think I've ever had a flame, unless you count someone correcting me on something. That makes me happy!**

**Man, I'm all nervous 'cause I had my blood test done and they called, but I missed it. I don't know the code to listen to the message, either… Now I'm all in suspense. I will let you know if they find out what's wrong with me! (Aside from the obvious, lol)**

**Well, crap. I meant to finish this a long time ago, but I didn't. The blood test wasn't good. I got two. The first one was positive, and the second was negative. Now we don't know what to do. And I'm no better.**

"**+English+" "Japanese"**

**Disclaimer!**

Ritsu's hearing was fading in and out and he started to feel a little dizzy. _My head… it hurts…_ He was glad An-chan had shown up. Suroku hadn't been able to say anything over her chattering and Angel's glaring. Ritsu faintly heard the whistle go off for the race to end, and he scanned the area for Masamune. He just wanted to go home. But instead, he met grey eyes. Suroku's eyes were more silver-grey than stormy, like Jack's… He though absently. He _really_ didn't want to deal with him though. He knew he wasn't a threat or anything, but every time he saw Suroku, he was reminded of the _incident_ and almost making one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Every time Suroku tried to talk, Angel shot him a glare. An was talking to Ritsu about something that had happened a while ago at some family-function, but he was only half-paying attention. _Where's Masamune? I just want to go home…. So… dizzy…_

8888

Masamune was on his way over. He probably shouldn't have kept running with his leg like that, but he did. _I swear, If Suroku said anything to him…_

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off, but his pursuer continued.

"+What?+" He snapped, slowing down for a second. The voice that spoke was obviously female.

"+Geez, I was just trying to be nice! I was going to say, 'good race', but if you're going to be like _that—+"_

"+You're wasting my time,+" He growled, turning to face her. She was shorter than him, maybe a few inches taller than Ritsu, with short blonde hair and hazel eyes. She looked taken aback by his annoyance.

"+W-well, I figured since we ran in the same race, you and I—+"

"+You're the girl that won, aren't you?+" He asked, realizing that she could very well have been the blonde that had passed him and Jack earlier. She beamed.

"+Barely! Man, I can't believe you competed in all of those events, and _still _signed up for the last one! I couldn't do that—+" He forced a charming smile like he did when he tried to deal with the girls of Sapphire BL department.

"+Look, you seem nice—+"

"+Amy. My name is Amy Burgon. You?+"

"+Masamune Takano. Anyways, you seem nice, but I'm in a hurry.+" He gestured to the group that was a few yards away. He desperately wanted to just grab Ritsu and leave.

"+Oh, I know that guy in the middle! He's my boss! His name is Ritsu Onodera. I know the girl ith the brown bangs too. Her name is Angel. I don't know the other two though. Do you?+"

"+Yes.+" He was starting to get annoyed with the girl's chatter. He started to jog up there again. She was persistent; he'd give her that…

"+He's really nice to everyone, and he's so good on dealing with his Mangaka! He told me that his boss from Japan taught him that—""

"+Oh, he _did?+" _A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth before he realized that he was getting distracted from his main objective: getting Ritsu. He turned away from Amy, tuning her out, and continued to his lover.

7777

"—and then, they took us to an aquarium! Do you remember that, Ri-chan?"

"Er, y-yeah.. An-chan, I, er, I have to use the bathroom."

"Oh, well I'll wait here then."

"I'll go with you," Suroku said with a smile. She grinned, happy that they seemed to get along.

"N-no, I'm fine. I can go by myself."

"No, I insist—"

"_You aren't going anywhere with him." _A voice hissed behind them. They turned to see Masamune there. He was glaring so hard that Suroku flinched a little.

"Oh, hello, Takano-san. We were just catching up—oh who's that girl?" Masamune didn't even bother to talk to An, so she chattered on, ignored.

"_I told you to stay the hell away from us." _Masamune hissed under his breath after Ritsu shot him a pleading look and glanced at An-chan.

"_You wouldn't let me talk to him on the phone! I was—"_

"Ri-chan and Suro-kun were about to go to the bathroom—"

"No. They're not. Ritsu and I are leaving." She pouted.

"Ri-chan, I thought we could hang out for a while and—"

"An-chan, I don't… Er, I'm sorry." Her eyes filled with tears.

"Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry! I just wanted to see you! I was—"

"N-no! I was… It's not you, I…I just have work tomorrow and I haven't finished my storyboards."

"R-really?"

"Yes. Really." He lied. She bought it. She turned to Takano.

"You bring the car around while I talk to Ri-chan," Masamune shot Ritsu a look that very clearly stated 'I do not take orders from this girl.' He narrowed his eyes in Suroku's direction.

"Well, I do actually have to piss, so…"

"Suro-kun! Don't use words like that!" She scolded. He blushed a little.

"Sorry." He walked off. She turned back to Masamune, as if she was confused that he was still there. Ritsu shot him a desperate look 'please just do it', it said. He let out a low growl and walked towards the parking-lot.

"Ri-chan, I know why you're flustered," She began.

"Y-you do?"

"Yes. It's because I'm dating Suroku, isn't it?"

"W-what?"

"Don't worry, he said he wouldn't tell. I didn't know they were related at first, but Suro-kun told me. He said that neither of your parents knows. He didn't even know that I know… Anyways, that's what I wanted to tell you. But I couldn't because of Angel and Amy. Where did they go, anyways?"

"Um… I didn't notice them leaving."

"Oh well… It was nice seeing you, Ri-chan. Take care. Please feel free to call me at any time during your stay. I'm staying for a few days as well. I'd really like a chance to just talk to you like we did when we were kids."

"I… Um, I.." _I don't think Masamune will like that one bit…_ he shivered. "Maybe. If I have time." Her eyes lit up.

"Oh, thank you, Ri-chan!" She squealed, hugging him. Big mistake…

He felt himself being pulled from her grasp and dragged backwards.

"We're leaving, now." Masamune growled as politely as he could. One glance told Ritsu that he was in for a long night.

**~Kyaa!~ Yeah, I know, the last few chapters have been crappy. THE NEXT ONES WILL BE BETTER, I SWEAR! I'm trying to publish as fast as I can. I have a busy weekend. Plus, I'm all bummed about my blood test result. I wish I didn't have to make my parents take me to the doctor so much. I don't want to be a burden.**

**Yes, there will be a lemon in the next chapter.**

**Question of the day: Have you read 'Homestuck'? I heard it was really cool. It's a game mixed with a comic and they say it's boring until act 3 or so. Then it's supposed to be really cool. I'm going to. I accidentally opened a fic based on it (in comic section) and I loved it! I'm going to write one soon, hopefully!**

**Please Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**~Kyaaa~! Okay, I'm baaaack! Sorry I took so long! I was really busy, and I had so much work to do! I always feel bad about being gone so long! What was it, ten, maybe eleven days? I have also been feeling bad again. I can't sleep (more than usual. I have a sleeping disorder anyways) so I have been very tired. I did read some 'Homestuck', but not much. It is a little odd, but I love it. I'm going to try to finish this today (Tuesday).**

**I'm sorry, 'ImJustLazy'! I didn't mean to worry you!**

**Okay, well… I went to bed early on Tuesday, so obviously I did not write this until today. I will try to hurry.**

**Diclaimer~!**

The car ride back was silent, and Masamune was scowling. Ritsu sighed to himself, wishing he could have just gotten out of there faster. _At least I didn't have to talk to Suroku_, he thought tiredly. _But An-chan was enough! And now Masamune's mad at me…_ He snuck another glance at Masamune and let out another sigh. He wished the New York traffic would go faster! It wasn't as if the hotel was really even that far away. They could have walked, but Masamune insisted on driving because he didn't want Ritsu to have to carry anything too far. Now the silence was getting awkward. Ritsu racked his brain for something—anything to say, but he kept coming up blank.

"So… How did you learn how do drive?" He mentally kicked himself. Masamune shot him a surprised yet 'are-you-kidding-me' look.

"I went to drivers' Ed."

"I know that! I meant…um, I don't know, did your mother start to teach you or—" he cut himself abruptly and shot a fearful glance at Masamune. He hadn't meant to bring up his mother! That was always a bad thing to do.

"No. I paid for it myself." He said as if it hadn't fazed him at all. But Ritsu saw the way his hands tightened to a white-knuckle grip on the steering-wheel. He wanted so badly to apologize, but he knew Masamune would only get more annoyed. So he opted for continuing this now-even more-awkward conversation.

"Same for me. Well, my mom never wanted me to drive. She was scared to death that I would get into an accident every time I took the car." Masamune looked mildly interested now.

"I didn't know you could drive."

"Yeah. I usually choose to walk, after what happened to my first car… I saved up for it by working at a café, but my dad insisted on paying for half of it. I forget what type of car it was though… Anyways, after my lessons were done and I had my license, I would usually go to a library or to a park to read. I had my license in both countries, so I was free to drive in America too. When the accident happened, I was—"

"You were in an accident?" He was now fully facing Ritsu, and his voice was clearly alarmed. _It's not as if it happened recently…_ he thought, confused by the man's expression and tone. "What happened? Were you okay?" Masamune couldn't recall ever seeing scars on his body…

"Well… I was driving home after staying at a friend's place, and there was this drunk-driver… I was about maybe twenty minutes from home." He winced before going on. "It was just me in the car, so it was no big deal—"

"What?'

"Well, I didn't have any passengers, so it wasn't a—"

"But you could have been killed." Masamune growled. Ritsu looked thoughtful.

"I suppose."

"What—"

"_Let me finish. _Anyways, I had just rounded a corner when—bam! He slammed into me! He hit the passenger-side. He was swerving all over, and I didn't think he would hit me, but he did. My car was forced off of the rode and into a tree. I didn't get too many bad injuries. I only had a few scratched here and there. And maybe I had a concussion. He was fine though, I think." He paused, remembering. Masamune growled.

"Did he go to jail?" Masamune asked through clenched teeth.

"Um, I don't think so. I think he maybe spent a few days there and then they let him out. Why?"

"Because he almost killed you! That imbecile should rot." He spat. Ritsu blinked at him, completely stunned. It was awkwardly silent again. "What happened after that?"

"Well, my dad was pretty mad. My mom was… well, my mom. She was furious! When I called her from the wreck, she was there in like five minutes! She looked about ready to murder him! My dad was a conference, and didn't get the message until later. My mom kept hugging me, and crying and stuff like that. Oh, you should have seen my dad in that hospital room! He was about to march into the other guy's room and kick some ass—and sue it too. I don't think I have ever seen my father so angry." He looked thoughtful for a second. Masamune noticed that whenever he said something about his father being upset or angry, he said 'father' and he used 'dad' when he was fine.

"Well, he should have been."

"You know, you don't have to be so angry about it… it was a long time ago, and we weren't even together…"

"Because I love you." He said simply. He snuck a look at Ritsu and sure enough, he was blushing. Masamune felt the blood begin to rush to his nether regions. Ritsu just had no idea how cute he was, or how he could affect those around him.

"I-I love you t-too…" Masamune smiled as he pulled into the parking-garage. Right when the car stopped, he grabbed Ritsu and pulled him into a long, deep kiss. Ritsu's lips parted in surprise and Masamune took that opportunity to slip his tongue in and ravage his mouth. Ritsu moaned and kissed back, forgetting they were still in the car (and in the parking garage). When he remembered though, he had to pull back, causing Masamune to growl in frustration.

"What now?"

"W-we're still in the parking-garage. A-and in the car!"

"So?" He said, pulling Ritsu back to him and kissing him again.

"We…can't… do _that_…here…Ah!" He gasped between kisses. "W-what if someone walk by?" Masamune grinned.

"Then we'll give 'em a show. They'll sure get an eyefull." He chuckled at Ritsu's horrified expression. "Dummy. The windows of this car are tinted, and it's dark in here. Besides, I don't think I could let anyone else see you like this," He kissed Ritsu's jaw tenderly and continued, "_This is mine. _Nobody else is ever allowed to see _my Ritsu_ _like this_._"_ He said, tugging on Ritsu's shirt.

**~Lemon~**

"Ah…M-Masamune, this is a rental car—oh!"

"So? That just means we don't have to clean it."

"But—ohh…"

Ritsu tried to stutter out another excuse for why he didn't want to do it in the car, but Masamune's attentions were getting to be too much. He kissed Ritsu's neck, and suddenly his kissed became more fevered and aggressive. He bit Ritsu's neck, and Ritsu yelped.

"W-what the hell!"

"Where else did she touch you?" Masamune breathed into his neck, lapping at the mark he had just made. Flashes of _that girl_ hugging Ritsu close flooded his mind. He didn't even call her by name. She was just _'that girl' _and probably would always would be. He suddenly felt Ritsu push him back. To his surprise, Ritsu looked…_angry._

"Is that what this is about? An-chan?"

"I—"

"I told you that I don't want her! I don't love her like that! Is my word not good enough for you?" He sounded angry and hurt.

"N—"

"I guess not, since you obviously think I'm just going to run off with whatever guy or girl that asks me to next! I'm sick of it!"

"I'm sorry—"

"No, I don't think you get it. I don't want anyone else. I…I only… I only want you, okay!" He didn't mean to yell it, but it just came out like that. As soon as he said it, he used that temporary burst of courage to pull Masamune into another searing kiss. To his surprise, _**Ritsu**_ was dominating _**Masamune's**_ mouth. Masamune moaned in the back of his throat and quickly kissed back. He was soon dominating Ritsu's mouth as he usually did. He pulled back and smiled.

"I am sorry. I just… I see how other people are with you, and how you smile so much when you talk to them… And when _that girl_ hugged you, you blushed. I just couldn't stand it. I'm glad you want me and only me. I love you. Am I forgiven?"

"I don't know."

"Please?"

"…Maybe… I'll have to think about it." He smiled at Masamune's expression. Masamune smiled after a second—a wonderful idea popped into his head.

"Let me help you _think_ then," He grinned wider, kissing his lover once more. He pulled Ritsu closer and kissed him over and over. Ritsu seemed to forget his protesting for the moment and Masamune took advantage of it. He straddled Ritsu's hips and winced slightly when he bumped his head on the roof of the car. He reached to the side and pressed the lever that made Ritsu's seat lean back. Once he was laying down, Masamune pulled on the collar of his shirt as if to say 'why is this still on?' He tugged again and Ritsu lifted his arms so Masamune could strip him more easily. Ritsu was blushing, but a slight lust-haze set in his emerald eyes, turning Masamune on even more.

"Mm…Ritsu…"

"M-Masamune…" Ritsu panted heavily. "W-want…n-nngh…"

"You want me?" He teased, nipping at Ritsu's jaw again, earning a shiver.

"…Y-yes…"

"Good." He peeled off his own shirt and pulled Ritsu's pants off. God, he loved everything about his lover! Ritsu made a sort of whimpering sound, and Masamune reached back to pull the lubricant he had stored in the glove-compartment. Of course he hadn't told Ritsu about it. He hadn't been planning it, it was just in case of an 'emergency' like this.

"W-when…why…ohhh…" He was trying hard to talk, but Masamune had started to lick around his nipples, lightly nipping them and making him incoherent. He spread the gel onto his fingers and began teasing his way into RItsu's entrance. RItsu moaned in a mixture of pain and pleasure as he writhed beneath Masamune. Masamune pulled his hand away and Ritsu whined at the sudden halt of pleasure, but he immediately moaned again when he felt Masamune's fingers wrap around his manhood. He began to pump him, slowly. He bit his lip to keep from cryinmg out, and he clenched his eyes shut.

Masamune was enjoying this. A lot. He loved the sounds he made and the shy gestures Ritsu did. He suddenly froze when he felt Ritsu's hand on top of his own. Ritsu had grabbed the hand that was on his manhood and squeezed. Masamune was pretty much in shock. The sight of Ritsu's own hand on his cock… RItsu guided his hand up and down a few times, but then he let go. Masmune was slightly disappointed. He had wanted to see how far Ritsu would go. Suddenly, he felt fingers close around his own manhood and slowly pump. Now he knew what Ritsu had been doing! He had gotten some of the lubricant onto his own fingers.

"Ohh…Ritsu…Mmm…" He groaned in pleasure. He leaned forward slightly—they were in the car, so it wasn't a big space—and kissed RItsu deeply, showing his affections. Ritsu moaned back in answer. The tip of his cock was already weeping pre-cum, and so was Ritsu's. He was ready. "I'm putting it in," He warned. Ritsu's hand stayed on his cock, surprisingly. He guided it to his own entrance and helped Masamune put it in slowly.

"Ahhh…Mmmnngh…S-so…ohhh…"

Masamune waited a moment for him to adjust, and grabbed onto Ritsu's hips. He began to thrust slowly at first, gaining speed with every few.

"Oh! Oh! Mmm! F-fasterr….." Ritsu stuttered. Masamune was only too happy to comply. Soon, he was thrusting in and out quickly.

"Ahhh! M-Masa—ahhh! P-please!" He cried. Masamune grabbed for his manhood and pumped him vigorously in time with his thrusts.

"Ahhhhhh!" Ritsu came onto their stomachs and Masamune came within him. He collapsed on top of Ritsu, hugging him close.

"I love you."

"You're heavy!"

8888

**~Kyaaa~! Okay, I am so sorry for worrying all of you! I am alive! Just… not feeling great. Writing usually helps, but I have also been busy lately. ONLY ABOUT 3 MORE WEEKS OF SCHOOL! If I am not too busy this summer, I should update more. Thanks for being patient!**

**Question of the day: Are you on Summer break yet? (Or if you're in another country, any break?) If so, or even if not, what's your favorite thing to do on break?**

**Please Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**~Kyaaa!~ Wahhh! I keep disappearing! I don't mean to, but I have been sooo busy! Sorry guys! I am also now working on my 'Homestuck' fic, 'Surprisestuck!' If you like 'Homestuck', please give it a try! And I'm still trying to plan my Junjou fic… I'll let you know when I start that, which will probably be after this series.**

**IT'S ALMOST BEEN LIKE 23 DAYS! WAHHH! SORRY!**

**I have been sick all May… And then I was forced to go on family vacation and our cabin doesn't have Wi-fi!**

**This whole chapter is in English, so I didn't feel the need to use the "+thing+"**

**Disclaimer!**

The first two days went smoothly. Well, in the first hour, Masamune had most of the workers there already calling him the 'Demon Editor'. Everyone in Ritsu's department seemed okay with him. They did think he was pretty weird because on the first day he had brought in a ton of stuffed animals and set them on everyone's desks and on the windowsill. Amy (who had been following Masamune around for these last two days like a lost puppy) had asked him what he was doing, and he replied,

"If your environment is similar to the environment of your target audience, it helps you work better. We did this at out department in Japan."

She nodded like she understood, even though Ritsu could tell she clearly didn't. She was getting on his nerves, but he couldn't place why. Alex looked like he was going to wet himself whenever Masamune was near, but he was getting better. Masamune said Mino was the same way at first, and now he was perfectly fine… Well, as fine as _Mino_ could be…

Ritsu was sitting at his desk, going over some documents and evaluations when he heard Amy pipe up,

"Masamune~! You should totally go out with me—not like a date, but y'know, like… co-workers! It'll be fun!"

"Who else is going?"

"Just us!"

"I think that counts as a date…."

"Well, if you _insist—"_

"I didn't accept."

"But it'll be fun," She whined, batting her eyelashes. Ritsu felt very annoyed… well, pissed off was more like it. He still couldn't place why. Amy said it wasn't a date, and RItsu never pegged himself as the jealous type. "You can buy me dinner and take me to a movie!"

"…"

"Y'know, like a welcome party for you!"

"…So… you want me to buy you dinner and a movie? As a welcome party? Sorry, but… No thanks."

"C'mon!"

"I'm pretty sure a certain someone wouldn't like that very much," Masamune said with a wink at Ritsu. Amy glanced at Ritsu, clearly not getting it. Jack snickered and Alex blushed enough for the both of them.

"I don't get it… Ritsu, is he married?"

"Um, he—"

"Yes. Yes, I am." Ritsu glared at him, but Masamune only grinned. Amy looked crestfallen and quickly ran off towards the printer-room, saying she was waiting on a manuscript. Ritsu continued to glare at Masamune, and when he came close enough, Ritsu hissed,

"_What the hell was that?"_

"_Well, she was getting on my nerves, and yours too—"_

"_She was not—"_

"_You were jealous. Not that there was a need to be, but none the less, I'm flattered."_

"_I am not! I don't care if you go." _Damn that man for seeing through him!

"_So, if I go back and tell her that I can go, you wouldn't care?"_

"_Nope. And besides, you already told her you were married, so she would probably cancel anyways,"_ He whispered smugly.

"_Not sure about that," _He paused for a second, trying to read Ritsu's expression._ "I hear that some American women don't care. Shall we see if Amy is one of them?"_ Masamune drawled, enjoying how red Ritsu's face was. Suddenly, Ritsu seemed to calm down.

"_Oh, I don't mind. I'll just call An-chan. I'm sure she'd love to hang out," _Oh Ritsu, you shouldn't have said that…

"_No."_

"_No what?"_

"_You don't call __**her**__ and I don't go with Amy. Deal?"_

"_And you said __**I**__ was jealous. But yes, deal."_

"_Good. I wouldn't want to have to break her heart again. Or deal with my half-brother."_

"…" In truth, Ritsu had forgotten about Suroku. He nodded and went back to his work. He couldn't stop thinking about Suroku though. Did the man really want to apologize, or was he going to torment Ritsu more? _I don't think he would dare try anything with An-chan here…. Maybe I should give him a chance…_

"So, as I was saying earlier, I wanted to take you out for a da—welcoming purposes!"

"Well, my wife is the jealous type. I don't think that's a good idea," RItsu could see Jack trying to hold in his laughter, and Alex shaking his head. Andrew just looked plain annoyed. Ritsu noticed he was staring at Masamune, not Amy. Angel looked about ready to dump the water she had in her hands right over Amy's head. Amy put her hands on her hips and swished her short blonde hair.

"Are you sure you're married? I mean, you don't wear a ring, and you haven't called her once from here…" _Fuck._ "Why don't you give her a call? I'll explain everything to her." _Double fuck!_

"Here," They both glanced at Ritsu's outstretched hand. "It's already calling." Masamune raised an eyebrow at him in question. Ritsu mouthed 'It's Ari'. He had texted her and told her what was going on. He hoped she got it in time…

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Ari was lounging on the couch with Rara after a walk. She rubbed her stomach lightly as it throbbed. She had to cut the walk short because her stomach had been acting up. And because Rara couldn't go far in her pregnant state, but mostly because of Ari's stomach. _I better shake this off. Kano's coming over in a minute…_ Her stomach swelled with butterflies, even though it still hurt. She was so happy!

_**Buzzzzt! Buzzzzzt!**_

**1 txt msg from: Onodera Ritsu**

**Ari, play along when I call you!**

_What?_

_**Riiiiing! Riiiing! Riii—**_

"Hello?"

"Hey… Honey…" _WHAT THE HELL? TAKANO… SAID WHAT?_ AM I ON SOMETHING? She was very confused until she remembered the text. _Play along, eh? I can do that, I guess…_

"Oh, hey dear! I was just going to call you!"

"Oh… What a coincidence…" She could hear the strain in his voice and knew he was hating every second of this. She grinned to herself.

"Well, how is my honey-butt?" She heard muffled laughter and a loud 'thud'. She hoped he dropped the phone and hadn't fainted. When he got back on the phone, his voice was wavering. She couldn't tell if it was from anger or holding in laughter.

"F-fine. H-how are you?"

"Aw, call me by my nickname, hubby! I—"

_**CLICK!**_

"Hello?... huh, he must have hung up on me! The nerve of that guy!" She giggled and fell back down onto the couch. She was wiping the tears from her eyes when she noticed Kano standing in the doorway with a very confused look on his face.

"Er, so I guess you heard that, huh?"

A nod.

"It's a funny story…."

**~Kyaaa!~ Okay, I know this was kind of a filler chapter, but I just haven't been in a Sekaiichi Hatsukoi Fandom mood… Thanks for reading this far though! Are you guys getting tired of this series? Someone told me it wasn't very good…**

**Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Once again, sorry for disappearing! I have been very busy! The reason I was still able to update 'SurpriseStuck!' is because the chapters are shorter and I have them more planned out—because it is shorter and Karkat's personality is very similar to my own. I also just haven't felt inspired, but now I do!**

**Oh, and I had to recover a bit from switching meds, which wasn't fun**

"**+English+" **

**Disclaimer!**

Ritsu sighed tiredly. He had been up for a long time on the phone with some mangaka who needed translations. He was beginning to think he really was the only one. He laid his head on his desk for a second, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, he felt something nudge his arm. He turned to see Masamune holding two cups of coffee. He smiled weakly and took the one Masamune offered him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just a bit tired! I can work through it though! It's not so bad!"

"This isn't how it's been the whole time, is it?"

"Well, not really. Sometimes they just really need some help—"

"You _can_ say 'no', you know that, right?"

"No I can't! I don't want to leave them stranded!"

"They're leaving _you_ stranded."

"N-no! I can handle it!"

"Non, Masamune est correcte," They turned around to see Marco standing in the doorway. He had an apologetic smile on his face. "Ritsu, vous devriez prendre une journée de congé aujourd'hui. Vous travaillez trop dur."

"Non! Je—"

"J'insiste. Pour moi?"

Ritsu sighed once again. He knew what Marco wanted, but he really didn't want to. He was tired, but he didn't want to leave his work yet. Sensing his discomfort, Masamune asked,

"+What's he saying?+"

"+He wants me to take the rest of the day off, but I don't know….+"

"+You should. You've worked really hard.+" Ritsu was surprised. Masamune was the last person he would expect to encourage taking time off work.

"+But I can't! I'd feel bad if I left work! I mean it's—+"

"+Hey, Boss! It's fine, really! We aren't helpless, y'know! And we also have Takano to help us! Take a rest! You look so tired that _I'm _yawning for you!" Angel chimed in.

"+Yeah, Boss! I m-mean, if you want to…+" Alex added, blushing.

"+Sure, do whatever. I mean, you do work hard, and we appreciate it and all, but frankly, you look dead.+"

"+Thanks Andrew, that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.+" He rolled his eyes.

"+See? You're a big grumpy-pants when you don't sleep enough! Isn't that right, honey-butt?"

Masamune's glare could have killed pigeons in mid-flight, but Angel just grinned at him. After a minute, she did stop smiling and dropped his gaze. He raked his glare across the room, just to make sure nobody else was laughing. After that phone call, some of the employees had tried to tease him about his 'wife' calling him 'honey-butt'. He had put a stop to that really quick. He wasn't called the 'Demon-Editor' for nothing. Then, he went on as if he hadn't just made half of the interns crap their pants.

"+Yes, he is. He's also very grumpy when he doesn't get se—+"

"+OKAY! I'm going!+"

"+Oh, hey, Ritsu!+"Marco was hurrying towards him with a stack of papers. "+Could you please look at these while you're gone? I know it's your day off, but…+"

"+Uh… Sure…+"

"+One more thing,+" Marco looked behind him, as if waiting for something.

"+Yes?+" Just then, Jack came through the door. He looked terrible. He had dark circles under his eyes, his dark hair was askew, and he looked very pale.

"Escort Monsieur Jaques Marike, s'il vous plait."

"+Hey, I don't need an escort!+" Jack's protest was ignored. Ritsu nodded.

"+My apologies, Monsieur Marike, but we can't have you passing out somewhere, now can we?+"

He nodded and grumbled. Masamune frowned disapprovingly. Ritsu gave him a little nod, letting him know that it was fine. Masamune had to run to the printer anyways, so he walked them out. While in the elevator, Jack began coughing violently. Ritsu helped support his right side as he doubled over. Ritsu put a hand to Jack's forehead, and quickly pulled it away.

"+You definitely have a fever.+"

"+Thank you *cough cough* Captain Obvious…" Jack growled throatily. Masamune glared, but he said something completely different than Ritsu was expecting.

"+I think he's more of a Lieutenant Oblivious.+"

"+No kidding.+"

"+Oh, so now you agree on something? Ugh, you are unbelievable!+" Masamune simply smirked and kissed Ritsu's cheek as they arrived on the floor Masamune needed. Ritsu blushed as Masamune chuckled and walked out. Jack snickered.

For the rest of the walk, and most of the cab ride, Jack was silent (except the coughing). Ritsu was surprised to find out that Jack was in the same hotel, just a different floor. _Huh, I thought he bought an apartment…_ As he turned to unlock the door he got a glimpse of dark in his peripheral vision. He whipped his head around to see…. Nothing. The hallway was empty. _Huh, I must be overly tired…. Suroku isn't staying at this hotel…._

"+Thanks, Ri-*cough cough* Ritsu.+"

"+Oh, it was no trouble at all! If you need any help, feel free to ask!+"

"+You know, that's what made me fall for you… Always so nice to everyone, even if they've been being an ass to you…. And yet, you can defend yourself or someone else when they need it…. You always give it your all….+" Ritsu blushed deep crimson, despite knowing the man was delirious and more than likely wouldn't remember any of this conversation.

"+I-I'm no more special than anyone else, I mean—+"

"+And so modest, too. You're sooo cute…+"

"+Please just stop talking and go inside your suite, please.+"

"+Okie-dokie….+" He poked Ritsu's nose and walked into his suite, passing out on the couch. Ritsu shook his head, making a mental note to check on Jack later.

Walking to the elevator, he noticed that he didn't have his phone. _Well, this is just great… Did I leave it at work? Oh well… It's only a half-day anyways. Masamune will bring it back to me… And if I dropped it, some other guest in the hotel would turn it in… So tired…_

When he got in the room, he was too tired to do anything. He just laid on the couch and passed out, much like Jack had done earlier.

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Masamune was really worried about Ritsu. It seemed like he was always doing something, pushing his limits. Masamune was a very driven man, especially about work, but Ritsu was going to make himself sick. _At least it's only a half-day…_

_**Buzzzzt! Buzzzt!**_

He glared at his phone, annoyed that he had to stop reading his storyboard in the middle of it, but he read it anyways after seeing it was a text message from Ritsu.

**Text from: Onodera Ritsu**

**Hey, could you pick up some headache meds for me plz? Love you! 3**

He rubbed his eyes. There was no way Ritsu would type like that! But… there it was. _Maybe his headache is making him delirious? Maybe I should call and check on him…_

"+Excuse me, sir? Could you come look at this?+"

"+Sure+"

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_**Click!**_

Ritsu woke up to the sound of the door unlocking. He had forgotten that he had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Oh, Masamune, do you have my pho—"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not Masamune."

"W-what are _**you**_ doing here?"

**~Kyaaa~! Okay, there it is! I know I have been taking a while, but recovery is hard! They still don't know what's wrong with me, so bleh.**

**How was it?**

**Who is it? What was with that text? What's happening to Ritsu?**

**Please Review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Kyaaa! I'm back!**

**Many of you guessed correctly!**

**Wah! I keep disappearing for long stretches! Sorry! I hate it!**

**I CAN'T BELIEVE I BROKE 200! SOOOO HAPPY!**

**I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**But anyways, I never even expected to make this a series, but thanks to all of you, I did. I'm only expecting one more fic after this one! So this may seem a bit pushed together because I think it's going to be pretty long… I think.**

**My Birthday is coming up! I'm excited because I think I may get a tablet, and if I do, I will try and make pictures of everyone.**

**Before that, if anyone wants to see some rough drafts I did of Ari or any of the others, let me know!**

**Disclaimer!**

Ritsu felt his stomach sink. Suroku smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Ritsu asked again, hoping his voice wasn't quivering. He knew it was childish that he was scared. He was never actually afraid of Suroku, he was just wary and cautious. But adding that to the fact that he had just walked into Ritsu's hotel room and locked the door behind him… Now Ritsu was scared.

"I think you know why I'm here," Suroku drawled. Ritsu blinked at him. "Oh, come on!"

"What?" Ritsu decided it was best to play along until he could think if a solution. Suroku's steely grey eyes met his own emerald ones.

"I've tried calling you ever since that day! You don't answer your cell phone, I don't know your house phone, Masamune hangs up on me, and he'd murder me if I came near you."

"So… you're here…?" Suroku face-palmed and brushed his black bangs out of his eyes. He rolled his eyes, wondering how anyone could be so stupid.

"I've been trying to apologize!"

"I—"

"No, _you _shut up!"

"…"

"Good. Now, as I was saying, I'm here to apologize for scaring you—"

"You broke into my room to apologize for scaring me…" Suroku glared at him. But then he realized that he was right.

"That too. But, I didn't break in. I used a key-card. It's not hard to swipe one off of a custodian's cart." He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone… _Ritsu's_ cell phone. "And I wouldn't have had to take your phone if you answered my calls—"

"You _stole_ my phone? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Well, Masamune said he would kill me if I came near you. I know the work-schedule for you today because An-chan is trying to strike up a deal with your company. I worked at the company, which is how An-chan and I met. It was pretty easy." He paused for a second, as if considering whether to tell you something or not. Ritsu quickly scanned the room, but found nothing useful. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Ritsu.

"How did you know I wasn't at work right now?" Suroku shrugged.

"I asked. Some girl—Amy, I think—said you had to help a friend go home. And because I saw you earlier. You look like shit, by the way. You shouldn't work so hard all the time. You'll make yourself sick."

"Right. I'll be sure to take medical advice from the lunatic who stole my phone and broke into my room. It's on the top of my list, because who wouldn't?"

"Point taken," He looked around nervously. When his eyes fell on the mini-kitchen part, he spoke again. "Hey, I didn't think hotels still had those."

"Yeah, me neither. I was surpri—Hey! Don't change the subject!"

"Alright. Anyways, I caught up to you and the guy you were half-carrying fairly easy. I didn't know how to approach at first. I thought you might freak out. So, when you were trying to get him through the doorway, I snuck up behind you and took your phone."

"…But…. _Why?"_

"Because you were distracted—oh, you mean why did I take your phone. Simple. Number one, to make sure you didn't call Masamune the minute you saw me, and number two... Since it's a half day, I sent him a text that should keep him busy long enough for us to finish up here."

"Finish what?"

"Look, I know you don't believe me. Hell, I wouldn't either." He paused and ran a hand through his dark hair. He sat down on the chair that was directly in front of Ritsu and took off his jacket. He looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry. For everything. I really am. I thought that Masamune was some horrible guy, and I wanted to hurt him at first. I thought he was an arrogant, snobby, asshole who only cared about himself—"

"But he's not!" Ritsu burst out. "He cares about work, his friends, and his cat! I know he's a bit arrogant and childish sometimes, but he's never unkind to anyone—without reason!"

Suroku smiled.

"And you."

"What?"

"He cares an awful lot about you." Ritsu blushed.

"I-I, that's because…"

"And you about him."

"W-well, yes—"

"And I know I messed up. That's why I'm here. I'm glad that we—WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!"

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Masamune was expecting to come back to the hotel and find his lover asleep on the bed, or maybe the couch (which was more likely).

He was not expecting to come back to an empty hotel room.

With a blood stain on the ground.

Next to his half-brother's jacket.

**~Kyaaa~! Okay, I know that I am the worst with cliffhangers!**

**Don't hate me! I love you!**

**But seriously, I'm remaking drafts of some of my characters, even if I don't get the tablet. PM me if you want to see them!**

**Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Kyaaa! ****I have been very, very sick these past few days. To the point I can't really breathe or walk without pain. That is the reason I didn't update 'You Are My Light.' I wanted something more light hearted at the moment. ****Sorry!**

**That was very mean to leave a cliffy like that…**

**Anyways, my Birthday is in two days! July 8****th****! Yaaay!**

**Hoping to get a tablet! That way I can make the drafts I have of my characters better.**

**Disclaimer!**

Masamune dropped the sack he was carrying. Milk spilled onto the floor, and the pill bottle dropped with a clatter and rattle. But that didn't matter. He stood there, frozen for a minute. His eyes didn't leave the blood that was pooled on the ground before him. Suddenly, he was able to move again.

"RITSU!" He shouted, crashing through the hotel room. It had He wasn't in the kitchen, or in the bedroom. "RITSU!" He snarled at the coat that was now in his hand. If Suroku hurt Ritsu in any way, Masamune _would_ kill him. "SUROKU!"

No response.

He tore through everything in the room, looking for a clue. Finding none, he took off into the lobby. He glared and snarled at everything in his way. His eyes scanned the room viciously. Seeing nothing, he tried to calm himself down before someone got suspicious. _Maybe there was just an accident. Maybe Suroku is the one that was hurt. Hell, maybe Ritsu punched him. But still, I'm going to kill him when I find him. Ritsu… where are you?_

He suddenly remembered that he did, in fact, own a cellphone. He ripped it out of his pocket and was about to hit Ritsu's speed-dial when something stopped him.

**Incoming call from: Onodera Ritsu**

"**Where the hell are you!"** He snarled into the phone.

"I-I'm down the street a few blocks—"

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you? Is he there?"

"W-who? Suroku?"

"Who the fuck do you think, Ritsu?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Was he… _crying?_ Suroku was so dead.

"Just… Where are you? You nearly gave me a fucking heart-attack! What was with that blood?"

"I-I'm… I'm at that little animal hospital down the street. You know, the one we pass on the way to that café?"

"Why are you there?"

"Masamune… your cat… Sorata is… I don't know what happened! She was just… and I couldn't… I'm sorry!" He cried. _What? Sorata? _He felt an immediate rush of relief when he realized that Sorata wasn't hurt. But he wanted—no, he _needed_ to see his lover. Now.

"I'm on my way."

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Ritsu broke down sobbing once more. Suroku didn't know what to do. He felt bad for the kid, he really did. He came over expecting to apologize. He didn't expect to be forgiven. He certainly didn't expect to see his half-brother's cat bleeding all over the place. Ritsu had bolted towards her and picked her up. He was panicking. Suroku took the cat from his arms and told him to follow. He remembered seeing that animal hospital. Ritsu obeyed silently and they ran as fast as they could Suroku was faster, but he was sure that Ristu knew where he was going. He ran through the doors and told the desk lady that he needed help "NOW!" And then Ritsu burst in, saying the cat was pregnant. That certainly got their attention. Now they were sitting in the lobby, and Ristu was sobbing his little heart out. He awkwardly put an arm around Ritsu and patted his head. He leaned into Suroku and whimpered something about needing to call Masamune. So he had given Ritsu his phone back when he became coherent again.

He wasn't going to lie. He was fucking terrified of his half-brother at that point. But hell, he couldn't leave Ritsu on his own. Seeing those big emerald eyes swimming with tears made his heart hurt. He could see why An and Masamune fell for him. His eyes were young, defiant, sincere, and honest. So, he sat next to Ritsu on the little couch and waited for Masamune. An was probably waiting for him and wondering where he was, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her.

"Ritsu!"

**Kya. Yes, I know this was a short chapter. I'm not all that happy with it…**

**Any good? I'll try to update soon!**

**Please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**I AM THE WORLD'S BIGGEST BITCH! I am soo sorry! I wish I could, but I don't have time to write. My mom is sitting here watching my type this out. I have to leave in a few hours for 2 weeks. I won't be able to update! I really wanted to, but I can't! Sorry guys! I swear I will—and with a long chapter—when I return!**

**(Okay, she's gone… I only had half of it done, but she's taking my laptop away, so I'm getting my files off before she sees them! For obvious reasons…)**

**ANYWAYS, thank you for following me and subbing and reviewing! They make me happy! I really wish I had time to finish!**

**Sorry!**

**PS – to those that wanted to see my drafts of the characters, sorry! My computer hates me and didn't want to upload them. SO I'm gonna do some more—with my new tablet! And try again!**

**See you in two weeks!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Kyaa! Okay, sorry for being a bitch! I just didn't have time! Boo for cliffies.**

**My vacation was okay…**

**OH! I HAVE THE DRAFTS OF ARI, KANO, SHINZO, AND RYO DONE! IF YOU WANT TO SEE THEM, PM ME OR TELL ME IN A REVIEW! Sorry! I don't remember who wanted them!**

**Disclaimer!**

Masamune was instantly at RItsu's side, pulling him into his arms and out of Suroku's. But to Suroku's surprise, Masamune didn't even glare at him. All of the older male's attention was on Ritsu. The poor little brunette couldn't even form a sentence. He was a wreck, and the sight of it made Suroku's heart clench.

"I… I j-just… I didn't mean… I-I… I'm so sorry!" Ritsu cried, burying his face into Masamune's chest. Masamune held him close.

"Ritsu… Look at me," When Ritsu didn't respond, he pulled back slightly, which made Ritsu flinch. What, did he really think Masamune would blame him? Hate him? That hurt more than he could admit. Ritsu's emerald eyes shimmered and fresh tears fell as he tried to form words. Masamune put his finger to Ritsu's lips and tilted his chin up. "It is _not_ your fault."

"Y-yes it is! I-I didn't know what to do, and you were yelling—"

"Shh. I'm not done," Suroku was beside himself. At first, he wanted to pull Ritsu away and punch Masamune. The bastard had been yelling at the poor young editor on the phone! But now… He wasn't so sure. He had never seen Masamune—no, _anyone, _look at someone like that. Masamune's voice was quiet, and his eyes were soft. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. But you have to understand something. I saw the blood on the ground, and you weren't answering my calls. What was I supposed to think? You were gone, and I was terrifi—I thought something happened to you. You come first. And when I saw Suroku's coat I—wait, what _was_ he doing there?"

Now he was glaring. Suroku stared back, not knowing what to say.

"I asked him to come by."

_What?_

"…What?"

"I-I asked him to come to the room."

"Why?" Masamune growled, but it was more in confusion than jealousy.

"B-because… He kept on calling us and stuff… I just wanted to get this over with. That way he'd leave us alone and we could have some sort of… closure? We talked for a little bit, but then Sorata… When she was bleeding, I p-panicked and… Suroku helped me. He carried her here, but now I don't know… I.. I'm so sorry," He choked up again. Masamune pulled him close once more and kissed the top of his head. Then he looked at Suroku again. Suroku was expecting snarling words or a glare. Anything but what he actually got. Masamune mouthed 'thank you.' His eyes weren't warm, and his voice was too quiet to hear, but he was sincere. Suroku couldn't blame Masamune for not being warm with everything that's going on. Seeing them hug like that made him feel like this was something he shouldn't be intruding on. It also made him miss An-chan. He wanted that. He wanted to love someone like that. He also wanted to check his phone…

**2 missed calls and 3 text messages from: Kohinata An**

He knew he should leave, and he was about to say so, but he couldn't bring himself to disrupt the scene before him. He turned to go, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw that it was Ritsu. His eyes were still a bit watery and puffy, and his cheeks were slightly red, but he smiled a small smile that both surprised him and warmed his heart.

"Thanks for your help. If you weren't there, I wouldn't have known what to do." He found himself smiling back.

"No problem, And thank you—you know why. Let me know how it goes, okay?" His voice softened and he patted Ritsu's shoulder. He glanced up at Masamune, who gave him a simple nod, and walked out.

_Why did he cover for me?_

7777

Ritsu sighed. He hated crying. His eyes get all blurry, it's hard to breathe, and he sniffled too much—though Masamune said it was cute. He didn't get that at all. How could sniffling be cute? As Masamune held him close, he couldn't help but feel like a fraud. He didn't deserve this. It was his fault! If he hadn't been sleeping, maybe he could have seen some sign and brought Sorata in earlier. Masamune sat down on the little red couch (which was by no means comfortable. It was quite hard) and pulled Ritsu into his lap. Ritsu didn't protest at the public display of affection like he normally would. He needed it… He was so selfish. Masamune probably hated him now…

"You aren't selfish, idiot. You're just scared," He didn't know he'd said that last part out loud! "Ritsu, do you really think I could hate you?" he sighed. "Ritsu… I love you. That isn't going to change. But I need you to trust me. I've spent too long chasing you, and I aim to keep you. If you can't trust me, maybe we should wait to move in together…" he hated saying it. He really did. He wanted Ritsu to wake up in his—their bed every day. But If Ritsu wasn't ready, he could wait. Ritsu sat up, alarmed.

"I-I didn't mean that I don't trust you! I do! I'm just… I tend to think of the worst scenario possible. I can't help it. Ishikaru said it was because I'm jaded, but… I… I really do love you. And I think I'm ready for this. I won't lie and say that I know, because I don't. But I want to try, and I know that you love me. I'm sorry that I made you feel like I didn't trust you."

Masamune kissed him. It wasn't lust or passion filled. It wasn't hungry or suggestive. It was sweet and reassuring. _I doubt anyone else would believe that the 'Demon-Editor' could be like this. And… I think I might be glad that I'm the only one… Even if that's selfish…_

"And you know… Sorata _is_ old. It's uncommon for a cat her age to be pregnant. I doubt… I don't think she'll be leaving this place…" His voice was distant. Ritsu looked up at him, and he saw that there was a slight veil around Masamune's eyes. He wasn't crying, and his eyes weren't watery, but Ritsu could tell that he was sad about his cat. He'd had her for more than ten years. More than enough time to get attached. But what about the kittens? He leaned in closer to Masmune, offering his closeness as comfort. Masamune rested his chin on Ritsu's head and Ritsu took his hand.

"Ahem," Someone cleared their throat. They turned to see a young man in faded yellow scrubs. He had light brown hair and eyes, and if he showed any disapproval of their current position, it didn't show in his face. "Mr. Takano? About your cat…"

**Got a doctor's appointment today, so gotta go. I shouldn't take too long for chapters to come out now. I hope.**

**WHY CLIFFIES? WHYYY?**

**So, once again, if you want pics of my characters, PM me or leave it in a review!**

**Please review!**


	23. Simplicity

**Kyaa! So I had a surprise trip to Chicago… I've never been, so it was pretty cool. I went to Shedd Aquarium and the Willis (Sears) Tower… and stuff. Big cities are cool for a bit, but I rather like smaller places.**

**But, today… I was very sick. It sucks, but I am glad it didn't happen yesterday. I walk every day for at least 3 hours, and I couldn't make it 45 minutes before almost passing out.**

**OH! And I bought an awesome pocket-knife!**

**I planned to write this yesterday, but… Yeah.**

**For some reason, I really, really, want something sweet…**

**I always forget to name the chapters, but this one has a name…**

**I dedicate this chapter to **'TheFifthCharmedOne' **because somehow she reviewed (which made my computer 'ding!') right when I started typing this!**

**Disclaimer!**

_**Simplicity**_

_Life is not always fair. It's not always happy. It's not always sad. But it was _simple. _Not the little things, of course. People could have hardships. But living itself was simple. And so was dying._

_So damn simple…_

_8888_

Kanoba Ikimoto yawned and sat up in bed. He rubbed his eyes and looked around for Shika-kun. He frowned, not seeing his stuffed companion. He brushed the dark brown hair out of his eyes and rolled over again. He was really tired after that movie thing. But then he sat up again, smiling. It had certainly been worth it!

When his co-star (he supposed she was pretty, but he never really noticed) showed up and pretended to flirt with him, Ari got so jealous! Ikira-san was only pretending because the producers thought it would be good for ratings. He had completely forgotten about it. But Ari thought it was real. She pouted at him and glared. He didn't understand at first. Ikira-san had to point it out. Yeah, he was kind of dense when it comes to things like romance. At least he could admit it. He thought it was kind of funny at first, until he lost sight of her. He tried going to look for her, but the press and photographers got in the way.

He frowned at the memory of the previous night. He'd found her at the door, trying to sneak out. Her long black dress was ruffling with the wind of the open door…

_**~FlashBack~**_

"_Ari! Ari, wait! Where are you going?"_

"_Why do you care?"_

"_Well, I think I should care if my date decides to leave before the actual dinner starts, don't you?"_

"_Why don't you just go talk to your girlfriend?"_

"_Um… aren't I already doing that?"_

"_You know what I mean! Ikira-san!"_

"_She's not my girlfriend, silly. You are."_

"_Well, you sure seemed cozy enough."_

"_They just want us to pretend for the movie."_

"_But… I thought…"_

_He sighed. "Arika, I wouldn't ask you here if I wasn't serious about you. You have to trust me."_

"_I-I do…. I'm sorry. This is just so embarrassing and I don't feel like I belong here!"_

"_I don't either," He admitted. "That's why I usually bring Shika-kun with me. But I didn't think I'd need him because I have you… And he'd feel like a third-wheel."_

"_O-oh..."_

"_You… wanna get out of here?"_

"_But I thought you had to stay for the premier and dinner?"_

"_I've been here for about two hours. I think that's long enough. Plus… this is really freakin' boring."_

"_What about the movie?"_

"_I…well, I starred in it. And I have a copy at home. We can watch it together! Alone. Some of these people talk through movies, and Shika-kun gets grumpy when they do that."_

"_Okay, let's go."_

_He took her by the hand, kissing it briefly, and leading her to his car._

_**End of Flashback~**_

It had been a good night. They ordered Chinese food and cuddled on the couch as they watched his movie. Ari seemed to really like it. He blushed when he remembered how she kissed him before she left. But she seemed to have left in a hurry…

_**Knock knock knock!**_

"Uh… come in?" He had no idea who'd be knocking on his bedroom door.

"Hey," Ryo walked in, dressed in his mint-green scrubs and holding a tray that held a glass of water and two pill bottles. "Sleeping Beauty finally decided to grace the waking world with his presence."

"Meh. More like you walked in before I could go back to sleep."

"Pfft. Don't be lazy. Besides, I let you sleep in as long as I could. You're supposed to have a specific pill schedule, you know."

"Yeah… Hey, have you seen Shika-kun?"

"Your stu—wolf? Yeah, I noticed that he had a stain on him when I was going to wake you up earlier. I decided to wash him. I hope you don't mind—"

"You _what?"_ He exclaimed. Miko was the only one who was allowed to do that. Ryo looked at him warily.

"Hand-washed. He's fine. He's mostly dry now. Shinzo said it was okay. You should take your pills now, Kano-kun."

"Oh…" He guessed it was okay… No harm done… _But still…_ He took the glass of water and opened the first bottle, taking two pills. He quickly swallowed them with a mouthful of water and moved on to take one of the next bottle. "What time is it, anyways?"

"Almost twelve-thirty."

"Dang," He whined. "I missed my cartoons!"

"Shinzo just made pancakes."

"Yay!" He sprung out of bed. Shinzo made the best pancakes.

_He's so childish… but it's cute. _Ryo thought, shaking his head. He picked up the tray and followed his ward out to the kitchen.

Kano was already seated, drenching his pancakes in syrup and pouring himself some milk. Ryo's stomach growled and decided to join the Mangaka. He was on his third bite when Shinzo came out of his room, phone in hand.

"I don't know! What the hell does that mean?... I don't know what to wear, that's why I called _you!"_

Ryo chuckled, which earned him a glare from Shinzo, who walked outside. Kano raised an eyebrow.

"What did you do to my brother this time?"

"Nothing… much."

"Not that I don't enjoy watching him squirm, but…"

"I just asked him to meet my mom. She's been crazy about meeting him since I told her we were dating. My sister too."

"That doesn't seem so bad. You've been dating for like a month and a half…"

"I told him twenty minutes ago."

"So?"

"It's tomorrow."

"Ah."

"The simplest things freak him out."

"Yeah."

"Oh, before I forget, your girlfriend called this morning." Kano immediately perked up and turned towards him.

"She did? What did she say?"

"She said she was sorry, but she had to cancel your plans to go the park today."

"Oh… Did she say why?"

"She said she just had sudden plans."

Life was simple.

But girls were complicated, Kano decided.

8888

Ari lay on the bathroom floor, paying that the tremors would stop. She had been fine yesterday! But last night, her stomach had begun to ache. She quickly decided to leave before she got sick. She kissed Kano and bid him good night. And she had been on the bathroom floor ever since she got home. She was sweating off and on, and throwing up every so often. She was relieved to see no blood, but it still was unpleasant.

_What do I do now? If… If I die, it's going to crush him…_

_I… I need to make him hate me first. That's the only way it won't hurt him as bad…_

_It's over… It's all over…_

_It's going to hurt like hell, but tomorrow…_

The answer was simple.

That didn't mean she had to like it.

8888

Ritsu was having a hard time swallowing the lump in his throat.

The cat was just too old, they had said. Her body couldn't handle the stress.

She was sleeping now, but she was going to die. They said they could make it painless.

It was time to say goodbye.

He felt like he shouldn't be watching this.

"I-I, uh… I'm going to… I'll be back in a minute…"

Masamune nodded, though Ritsu doubted that he could even hear what he was saying. As Ritsu walked away, he opened the door to Sorata's room. He walked in slowly, as if his legs were suddenly too heavy to lift. He approached the little bed that held his companion of over the last almost eleven years. He reached over and began to stroke her soft blue-grey fur, like he did just the day before. Like he did everyday.

Like he would never be able to again.

"It's been… It's been a good run, old girl. I'm going to miss you."

Suddenly all the memories came flooding back. Him finding a sad and pitiful kitten in the rain, and looking around to see if anyone was looking for her. Taking her home and trying to ask his parents about keeping her. Them saying 'no' over and over again, until he pulled the cute little cat from his bag. When his parents fought, he'd go to his room and let her sit on his stomach, feeling comforted by her warmth. And when he started dating Ritsu… It was funny. She was jealous of his attentions and always seemed to try and wriggle between them. She didn't like Ritsu much at first.

He sighed at the memory of their breakup in Highschool. Sorata had been there then too. And when he moved into his college dorm. Yokozawa had flatly stated 'no' and didn't even bat an eye as he showed him his young cat. He planned to just switch dorms.

"_That cat really means that much to you?"_

He simply sighed in response. Obviously Yokozawa caved and let them sat. He grew quite attached to the cat… Telling Yokozawa was not something he looked forward to.

When he moved out, he was focused solely on work. She meowed when she needed food, reminding him he did too. She would curl up in his lap when it got late at night, forcing him to go to bed…

And even now… She laid at the foot of the bed, beside his and Ritu's legs. She meowed a minute before the alarm went off, just to annoy Ritsu, the brunette swore. At the hotel room, she would roll over Ritsu's papers, both annoying him and reminding him that he needed to pick them up.

But now that was over.

"I'm sorry," He whispered. He bent down and kissed the top of her head.

He didn't cry. He didn't feel the need to.

It was simple.

She was old. She was his friend. She had a good run, and he would miss her. But she was dying.

This was a fact of life.

Besides… He now had three little lives depending on him.

**Kyaaa! I know, I am terrible!**

**Please know I am very sleep deprived right now…**

**I was so sick today… It was really, really, bad. That's why this took all day to write.**

**Yes, her kittens survived.**

**Next chapter: Will Ari break up with Kano? What about the kittens? Will Shinzo agree to go meet Ryo's mother?**

**Question of the day: What is your favorite type of cake? I like a ton of them. I like marble, red velvet, carrot… a ton…**

**Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Kyaa! Oh my gosh! You know how I said I was sick? Well, it was bad yesterday. My family was supposed to go to a thing for a family friend, but I didn't want to go. The car trip is like an hour and I always throw up if I'm sick in the car. **

**So I ended up passing out, but no worries—I was on the couch. When I woke up, the sky was very, very dark. I still couldn't sit up, and the sky was getting darker, rain thrumming hard against the windows, wind picking up, and clouds moving fast. Now, I am not scared of storms. I find them interesting. Until someone mentions the word 'tornado.' That's when I get scared. My sister called crying and freaking out because she couldn't get to me and she said we had a warning. I was worried, but not as bad because the sirens weren't going off. Until I hung up. My phone mimics the sirens to let me know what's coming. My dog started to howl and cry. I forced myself to get up and look outside. My dad always said it would sound like a train coming without the whistle.**

**He was right.**

**The house shook and I called my other sister and she said she would come and get me. I was scared! I don't know if there actually was a touch-down tornado, but it was close!**

**Dang, that's a long authors' note…**

**Anyways, this whole chapter is in English, so… yeah…**

**Disclaimer!**

When Ritsu came back into the room, Masamune simply raised his head and nodded in greeting, not really looking at him. He was stroking Sorata's blue-grey fur, not saying anything. Ritsu didn't really know what to say, or if he should say anything at all. He was given his answer when Masamune simply pulled him towards the little bed that held his cat. He had one arm around Ritsu, and the other was back to petting his cat. Ritsu was content to just be there. But somehow, still felt the need to say something. His words died in his throat as he saw the vet walk in.

"Mr. Takano?" He said softly. Masamune turned to him in question. "I'm sorry, but there are some forms you need to fill out so we can dispose of the body properly… Your—_brother?—is_ allowed to stay here while you do so."

_Dispose of the body? Did he really have to be so blunt?_

"Lover."

"Pardon me?"

"He's my boyfriend, as the Americans would say."

"Oh. He is allowed to stay all the same."

The doctor's face didn't change at all with the news. Masamune wondered how he could think they were brothers. No pair of siblings he knew kissed like that or sat on the other's lap. But he didn't comment. He simply followed the man out into the hallway and into and office, leaving Ritsu alone with the sleeping Sorata.

Despite his only company being the fragile little cat beside him, peacefully sleeping, he was blushing. But he just felt like he had to do this. He wanted to.

"Um… hey…"

"…" Cats don't talk. Much less unconscious ones.

"Look, I know that you didn't really like me much. It was mutual some of the time. But… I want you to know that I didn't hate you. Ever. Sure, I got annoyed when you attacked my shoes or scratched me. But I know why you did it. I really want to thank you though. Because… You helped him. I wasn't there, and you were. You're a big part of him, and I won't hold a grudge. Towards the end, you weren't so bad. I actually sort of liked you more. I… I hope that you can forgive me for hurting him like I did. I never meant to. I… I sound silly, but… I hope you know that I really love him. I promise to help with your kittens. Maybe they'll at least like me… Anyways, the point is, I wanted to see you off properly."

He reached down and began to stroke her fur. He'd always thought it was an odd color, but not unpleasant. It seemed to _fit_ her though.

"Goodbye, Sorata." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He stood there for a minute, unsure of what to do. He let his thought wander. He wondered what Suroku and An were doing. He hoped Suroku had enough sense not to mention the cat because it would break An's heart, even though she's never seen Sorata. But that's the kind of girl An was. She had always wanted a kitten, but her parents had been hesitant. They said she should focus on becoming head of the company and a good wife for Ritsu…

Wow. He didn't really feel guilty anymore… Well, he felt a little sad for her, but not as bad. She had Suroku and he had Masamune. He was glad they were friends, and he knew he would always love her in a way. Just not _that_ way.

"Ritsu?"

He turned to see Masamune in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face. Ritsu blushed again. Just how long had Masamune been there?

"Y-yeah?"

"I'm all done with the forms… They asked id I wanted to stay while they inject her, but I declined."

"Why?"

"I already said my goodbye. She doesn't need me there. She's going to go peacefully."

"Oh… Well, what about the kittens?"

For the first time that day, Masamune smiled. It was a small smile, but it still counted.

"They're in the room next door—well, it's kind of like the human NICU. They won't open their eyes for ten to twelve days though. I talked to Isaka about it and he said I can just stay until then. I don't want to leave them alone. I didn't ask for you to though. I didn't want…" _To screw myself over for not asking you first. Because that's what I seem to do best._

"Okay. I'll talk to him too. That's only a small extension on my stay here, so I doubt it will be a problem—that is, if you want me to stay."

"Sure. Do you want to see them?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Masamune took his hand and gave it a squeeze, before leading him out into the hallway. He only looked back once, and he was smiling. He wanted to see his friend off with a smile, even if she couldn't see it.

They walked down the hall a bit, until they came to two glass doors. Masamune didn't hesitate to push them open, and the nurse on the other side nodded, as if to say she approved of them entering.

"Have you already seen them?"

"No. But I know that there are two she-cats and a tom. They're in here." He said, gesturing to the room on the left. It was a little room, and the walls were painted a powdery blue, reminding Ritsu of a nursery. Which, he supposed, it was. The kittens were in something like an incubator that one would see baby chicks in. Ritsu had no idea if that's what it was or not. Nor did he really care. He was focused on the little fur balls in front of him.

"Wow… they're… they're so small!" He exclaimed, half-whispering. Masamune gave him a mock-surprised look.

"No_, really_? Of course they are. They're kittens, dummy."

Ritsu just sighed at the comment and let go of Masamune's hand. Masamune sighed as well. He hadn't meant to hurt Ritsu's feelings. He didn't think he did. Ritsu didn't say anything, just stepped closer to the container that held the three kittens.

They were all curled together in a sort of triangle shape. They were slightly overlapping with each other, probably to share warmth, Ritsu decided. The first little ball of fur he saw was mostly white, with grey patches. The one right in front of that one was also white, but had more grey patches. He noticed that the second one's patches were darker grey than the first. The last kitten was the one that resembled their mother the most. It was mostly blue-grey, and had a white under belly and paws. When he leaned closer, he realized that it wasn't pure blue-grey like Sorata is—had been. It had tabby stripes along it's back in a darker blue-grey.

"The tabby is the tom," Masamune said after a minute. Ritsu nodded. He wondered what their eye colors would be and how they were going to take care of the kittens. So many things were left unanswered…

"Are you going to name them?"

"No."

"…Um, okay…?"

"_We're_ going to name them."

8888

Shinzo wished the sun would go back down. He really did. He was usually a morning person. That was weird because he often stayed late at the hospital, but for some reason, he like waking up in the morning. Just not _that_ morning.

Ryo was nowhere to be found, but he found a note on Ryo's pillow—_what, what? He doesn't even live here! It's my damn pillow… _He picked up the note and read it with a sigh.

_**Sorry I'm not there. I had to go shopping with my sister, Ikomi. Be back before you know it! Don't worry so much. I'll pick you up at one-thirty so we can go to my mom's house.**_

_**Love, Ryo**_

_The idiot even drew a heart next to his name… _But he found himself smiling anyways. It reminded him of something Mori would do, which made him sad. She wouldn't speak to him, so he couldn't apologize. He sighed and got out of bed.

And really wished he hadn't.

_**CRASH!**_

He was instantly in the living room.

"Kano? Kanoba!"

No answer. He raced up the stairs, briefly pausing at Kano's door. What was he thinking? He was totally unprepared for this! _I don't want to sedate him, but if he's… if he's like he was that time with Ritsu… I shouldn't be doing this._ He pushed the door open anyways.

"Kano—"

"Damn it, Shinzo!" Shinzo flinched. Kano never swore. But he was talking, which was good. He almost never spoke unless he was screaming during an Episode. Shinzo found his brother hugging his wrist. He had tears in his eyes, but somehow Shinzo knew they weren't from his wrist.

"Are you alright?"

"…" He didn't say anything. That was bad. He doubted that Kano had taken his meds. When he scanned the room for the tray that Ryo always left for him, he gasped. It was overturned and on the floor with pills scattered everywhere. That explained the crash. He was still worried about the _why_ though.

"Kano… can I see your wrist, please?"

To his surprise, Kano held out his wrist. Shinzo was in full doctor-mode now. After a quick examination, he noted that it was just going to bruise badly. When he looked back up at his brother, his eyes were glistening. _Is… is he crying?_

"Does it hurt that bad? I can get some ice, or a heating pad to bring the swelling down—"

Kano shook his head.

"Please tell me what's wrong… Why did you flip your tray? You know you need your medication." Kano raised his head and glanced around through blurry eyes. He hadn't known that the tray had been knocked over. He started to cry harder.

"I'm sorry, Shinzo… I d-didn't mean to! I already took them today…"

"I know you didn't, but you need to talk to me. You're scaring me."

"I don't understand what I did wrong!"

"What? I—"

"Why did she break up with me?"

**Kyaa! Yeah, I'm evil. Nah, I am just hurting. My tummy is suddenly hurting really bad now.**

**So, I am going to go lay down and watch House M.D. with my sister.**

**NAMES FOR KITTENS! Okay, I want to name the tom-cat Jay, I think. What are some good names for the she-cats? Or, if you don't like Jay, tell me a different name.**

**Question of the day: Can you give me 2 names for the female kittens? 3 if you don't like Jay for the boy!**

**Please Review!**


	25. HIATUS  1 week probably

**Alright, here's the deal. I received a very mean review. I can take flames, but I've been really depressed lately, and that didn't help. I have been really sick too, and I read it when I was shaking and barely able to breathe. I didn't cry, but I mean… they left 2.**

**I'm probably feeding a troll, but I don't give a fuck anymore.**

**I am sorry to my fans. I really am. I loved this so much…**

**But… I guess I'm going on a little hiatus. I'm… my life is just too complicated and I'm really sick right now.**

**BUT LISTEN! I WILL UPDATE SOMETIMES ANYWAYS. JUST NOT AS REGULARLY AS BEFORE! I SWEAR I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS FOR MORE THAN ANOTHER WEEK!**

**If you wanna see the reviews they left… here…**

From: Guest

:Your stories are so cliche .

Try something different for a change.

And I dunno, not having onodera an annoying girl?

Tsk. You don't understand gay relationships at all.

Fangirl.

From: Guest

:And the Kyaaa's are fucking annoying.

**I'm probably overreacting, but I just need a little break. Will resume in a week. More than likely.**

**Well, only if you guys want me to. Review if you want me to keep going or just quit…**


	26. Chapter 26

**~Kyaaaa~! OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS!**

**WHY ARE YOU SO SWEET TO ME?!**

**Everyone was so nice to me! I mean, you were so great and understanding! I feel so bad about asking for reviews and stuff, but I just felt like I needed some reassurance…**

**I am soooo happy! I worked sooo hard on this series, and I wanted to make people smile with it. I will continue, but because honors classes are hard and give so much homework, I can't update as often as I want.**

**I love you guys. You made me so happy!**

**I am actually not able to continue this just yet—I mean, I have a lot to do. If you see me update my other story 'Eternal Bound' it's because it's shorter and easier to write for now.**

**BUT I SHOULD UPDATE THIS WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS**

**I AM SORRY FOR ANOTHER FALSE UPDATE.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Um, hey again. Once again, I am sorry for being all crappy with you guys. Most of you were really sweet. Most. I got one review from a 'guest' that called themselves 'YourReaders' or something, and it said 'stop with all the boring stuff and update' or something of that nature. Nice. Just said I'd continue, but I was stressed and sick.**

**Whatever.**

**Anyways, sorry for being a douche-canoe and taking forever. I was so overloaded with homework… and I am really sick guys. It was so bad that since we're out of options, I have to have surgery soon…**

**Um… Wish me luck**

**Now, for what you came here for…**

**Oh, congrats to the guest named **'Kiri,' 'musicalsoul24,' and 'gothpandaotaku,' for helping me name the kittens! Love you!

**There were so many other choices that I liked, but no cat could have like 15 kittens… aww.**

**Dislaimer!**

"They're so cute!"

"You just said that."

"I don't care… They're just so tiny!"

"You also already said that."

"Yeah, well…"

Ritsu couldn't really think of a comeback. Masamune chuckled. They were at the animal hospital again, visiting the kittens. It had been two days since they were born, and they were very small. Masamune and Ritsu had finally decided on names for them too.

The smallest she-cat with the light grey spots was name Takara—some idea Ari had given Masamune about mashing their names together. It was a good name, Ritsu had to admit. It was Japanese for 'most precious treasure.' She was indeed very precious.

The biggest one was the other female, and after looking her over again, they realized that her biggest dark grey spot was shaped like a bell. They decided to call her 'Belle' which is French for 'beauty.'

The tom-cat was the middle-sized one. Masamune decided that they would call him 'Sora' in honor of his mother. Ritsu agreed.

The kittens weren't in the heating container anymore, but they were in a nice little bed-thing in another room. They curled together and squeaked. They sometimes tried to walk around, but stumbled quite a bit. Ritsu thought it was adorable. They also made these little squeaking sounds and mewling sounds when they were hungry. The nurse had shown Masamune and Ritsu how to feed them with a bottle, and that's what they were doing at the moment. The nurse had already fed Belle, and Ritsu was holding Takara, laughing when she made little sucking sounds. Masamune had Sora in his arms, and this kitten was quite a bit quieter than his sisters, but he liked to dig his tiny little claws into Masamun's fingers. It didn't hurt.

Masamune grinned. He was glad Ritsu was here. He was glad that Ritus wanted him, and wanted to help him with this. He was glad that—

"Why are you grinning like that?"

"No reason."

-he had planned a surprise for his lover when they got back to the hotel.

8888

Ari sighed. It was really late at night, but she couldn't sleep. It wasn't just the insomnia. She felt terrible about breaking up with Kano, but it wasn't fair to him for her to lead him on like that if she knew she was going to die. She couldn't cry anymore. She didn't have anymore tears left.

Rara whined and licked her hand as if to remind her that she wasn't alone. She smiled at the dog and rubbed her swollen belly.

"You're almost ready to pop, aren't you?"

_**Glare.**_

"I didn't say you were fat. I just said you were about to have your puppies. Don't get your fur in a twist, dog. I'm bigger than you."

She rolled her eyes at the snort Rara gave. Ari took a deep breath. Maybe she could go to sleep if she tried to think happier thoughts…

_Like when I talked to Takano this morning. He said he wanted to surprise Ritsu, and just in time to hear the news! I hope everything goes as planned. I worked hard on it!_

_But Sorata… Kano loved Sorata too—no! I can't cry! I don't have any more tears!_

_**Knock knock knock!**_

_Who could that be?_

**~Kya~ Okay, I know that was short, but at least I updated. **

**Any good, even though it was short?**

**Please Review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**I AM SO SO SOOOO SORRY! I am a terrible person!**

**I really, really wanted to update, but I couldn't!**

**First, my computer decided to not work correctly for about a week. Once I fixed it, I got really sick. I've been in and out of the hospital a lot lately. Sorry! **

**I did some work with my schedule, so I should be able to update more regularly now!**

**Oh, and thank you for the sweet reviews. You guys make my day! *blush***

**Hehe**

**Dedicated to **'hills-animeyey' **and **'TakanoxOnodera4ever' **because you guys are awesome! **TakanoxOnodera4ever

**Anyways, to the anon, 'RiceBunny-' if you have an account, PM me. I would love to talk to you. If you do not… Um… Leave it in a review or something.**

**ON WITH THE STORY!**

**WAIT AGAIN (adding this at the last second)**

**Okay, the previous draft got deleted somehow… And I don't remember what the surprise was… ack! If I hinted at it before, but it's totally different, go ahead and yell at me.**

**Disclaimer!**

"Seriously, why are you smiling like that? You're starting to freak me out…"

"Is it a crime for me to smile?"

"No. But when you smile like that, it makes me think you're planning something…"

"Maybe I'm just happy." Ritsu rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and I'm a **virgin** school **girl**." Oops. Bad choice of words. Masamune grinned. He sat Sora down, and took the other kitten from RItsu. He leaned over, their mouths only inches apart.

"I know you're not female. And I _definitely _know you aren't a virgin."

"I was kidding, idiot!"

"Oh, but you still blush like a virgin school_**boy **_when I talk to you. Hmm… Maybe I'll make you blush for a _different _reason. Then I'll be able to reconfirm ..._" _He brushed his lips against Ritsu's. Before they could go any further…

"U-um, sirs?" squeaked a timid voice. Masamune frowned. They turned to see a very short brunette with thick glasses and pouty lips. She looked embarrassed.

"Y-yes?" Ritsu managed, stepping back from Masamune.

"I'm sorry, but the kittens need their check-ups in a moment, and visiting hours are over in a bit."

"Right." Masamune nodded and took Ritsu's hand. "We'll go now." He almost laughed at both Ritsu and the nurse's reaction when he slid his hand to RItsu's ass. It was fun to get people all worked up. He hoped RItsu wouldn't be too mad. _Even if he is, he won't be once I show him the surprise._

"_Takano-san, stop it!" _ Ritsu hissed at him, batting his hand away. Masamune pouted. He preferred it when Ritsu used his first name. While they were walking out, the nurse stepped closer to Ritsu and whispered something that Masamune couldn't hear. Ritsu's face turned bright red, and he began shaking his head. Something got him very flustered. Masamune glared at the nurse, who whispered one more thing towards Ritsu before scurrying off, glaring right back at him.

"What happened?" He demanded. Ritsu opened his mouth, but he couldn't talk. His face was getting even redder.

8888

"Do you think this is fucking funny?"

"N-no, I—"

"Do you get some sort of sick enjoyment out of this?"

"I don't—"

"What the hell is wrong with you? You know what he has! If you weren't going to stay for the long run, you should have left him alone!Do you have _**any**_ idea what you've _**done?!" **_Shinzo snarled in Ari's face. The normally quiet, well-behaved-yet-snippy doctor she knew was gone. The man before her was filled with rage. His face was bright red, and his eyes were full of betrayal. She couldn't blame him…

"S-Shinzo, I didn't mean for him to get hurt!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Oh, so letting him take you on dates, call you his girlfriend, kissing him, and then dumping him wasn't supposed to hurt him?"

"I-I… I didn't want… He deserves better!"

"Oh, don't pull the whole 'I'm not good enough for him' routine! He _loves _you! He doesn't give a shit about anything else! I thought…" His voice quieted a bit, but still held anger. He seemed more angry with himself though. "I thought you'd be good for him… He deserved this. Why can't one fucking thing in his life go right?"

"Shinzo…"

"When he met you, I thought he could finally be happy. And then you broke up with him over a fucking phone call? What the hell is wrong with you?!" His caramel eyes flashed. He took a step towards her. He was only a few inches taller than her, and she knew he would never actually harm her, but he was intimidating when he wanted to be. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. It was like going under water. She somehow had the time to nitice everything around her all at once. Shinzo was actually dressed nice, in a dress-shirt and black slacks. He had the jacket folded over one arm, so she supposed he had gotten hot and taken it off. As he stepped closer, two things happened. One, Rara jumped off the couch and rushed (as fast as a pregnant dog could waddle) to stand between them, baring her teeth at Shinzo. The second thing was that the jacket in Shinzo's hand caught on the coffee-table drawer as he stepped forward, causing it to fall out. It hit with a loud 'thud.'

Oh.

And that caused a certain _someone _ to barge in.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

**Kyaaaaaaa! Okay, please please please forgive me! This may suck because of all the hospital visits. I am still getting back into writing mode!**

**Please tell me what you think! I will update soon! I PROMISE!**

**Please review!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Kyaa! Here I am again! I was going to update my other series, but right now, I'm in a very Sekaiichi mood! So yaaaay!**

**Are there any Sherlock BBC fans out there?**

**Thanks for your lovely reviews!**

**OH MY GOD I FORGOT TO THANKS YOU FOR THE OVER 300 REVIEWS! I AM SO HAPPY! WJHWDFJKBAFES;JK YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW!**

**Disclaimer!**

"Ritsu? Answer me! What did she say to you?" Masamune wondered if she was one of those super homophobic people. He hoped not. Poor Ritsu already had enough to deal with. Ritsu's eyes were huge and he looked like he was about to explode from being so flustered. He flailed his arms around and attempted to talk, but he couldn't. He covered his face with both hands and began to shake. Masamune rushed to him, thinking that he was crying. Instead, he found that Ritsu was… laughing?

"I-I c-can't, oh my gosh! Ahaha! Th-that's so—pffft, ahaha!" Well, he also looked mildly upset.

"What?" Masamune demanded. Ritsu looked back upp to him after he had sobered up, but as soon as their eyes met, he blushed again. His entire face was red.

"Shethoughtyouwereapervert…."

"What? Speak clearly!"

"Sh-she thought… that you were a pervert. She a-asked me if you were t-trying to molest me! Ahaha!" He wiped his eyes and looked at Masamune again. "W-well, I only half lied. I said that no, you aren't a pervert." Masamune rolled his eyes, annoyed that he'd worried over nothing. He was somewhat amused by his lover's reaction though.

"Idiot! I thought she'd said something to upset you!"

"I-I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! She threatened to call security!" He laughed once more a leaned over to Masamune, planting a kiss on his jaw. He was still drunk on his laughing spell, but Masamune wasn't complaining. "It serves you right for trying to be a pervert in public!"

"So it's okay for me to be a pervert in _private?_ I'll keep that in mind."

"What? No! I was—oh damn it all! Why do I even bother anymore?"

"Why indeed?"

"You're so—ugh!"

Masamune laughed and kissed Ritsu's forehead. His lover would calm down on the way back to the hotel…. And he'd be ecstatic once he got his surprise. Masamune couldn't help but grin as he thought about it. He would have to think of ways to thank Arika once they got back home to Japan.

**8888**

Ishikaru regarded Shinzo with a cold, baleful glare before sliding his gaze over to Ari.

"Is there a problem here, Arika?"

"Ishikaru, what—no! It was just… it was an accident."

Nobody could really blame Ishikaru for acting the way he did. He saw Shinzo's angry face and Ari's pale complexion and nervous eyes.

"Get. Out."

"You can't—"

"I _said, get out!"_ Ishikaru snarled at Shinzo. Rara barked at both of them. Shinzo turned to Ari, and said stonily,

"Think about what I said. Talk to him face-to-face, not over the goddamn phone. He deserves more than that." And with that, he shot one more glare towards Ishikaru and stormed out. Ari blinked and realized she had tears sliding down her face. Oh great. Now Ishikaru could see her crying. When she looked at him, she saw no emotion. No pity, no smugness, no confusion. Just a blank face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tissue. He handed it to her.

"Wipe your face."

"Th-thank you—"

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for _him."_ Oh. That explained it. Of course Ishikaru wouldn't do something nice for _her._ There was no need to specify who the 'he' was. Ritsu. Ishikaru didn't care for her. "Next time, don't be so careless. I might not be here to save you. There's no need to cause Ritsu so much pain _**again."**_

"I… I didn't need you to save me. I can take care of myself. Ritsu is a big boy. He can—"

"_Shut up!" _Ishikaru snarled. He stormed towards her, angry features highlighting his face and making his scar stand out. "You don't know a fucking thing about him! You don't deserve a friend like him! You don't deserve anyone! Do you have any, _any _idea what you did to him? You _ruined _him! He spent hours agonizing on a way to save you. He cried himself to sleep every night. Once he finally did it, he knew the cost. He would rather you not talk to him than be dead. But you didn't stop there. Oh no, you just had to tell him that you hated him. That he was worthless, and a traitor, and that you hoped nobody would ever love him because he would hurt them." He laughed bitterly. "And now… Now he was finally able to become happy again… But then you had to show up again. Don't think for a moment that I'll let you do this to him. I won't. All you ever do is make him miserable! Leave him alone! Just let him be happy!" She was shocked to see tears appear in his eyes. Ishikaru had loved Ritsu so much. Enough to let him move on and be happy. Enough to force his own emotions about Arika aside so he could protect him. The tears slid down his face, unnoticed by him. It was then that she realized…

He was right.

She had hurt Ritsu. Badly. That was why it was so hard for him to love anyone. And the whole highschool thing with Saga-Senpai didn't help… She also realized that she hadn't just hurt Ritsu. She'd hurt all of them. Ritsu, Ishikaru, Toka, Nonagaru… And now Kano.

She should never have come back.

She should never have been born.

**Kyaa! **

**Don't hate Ishikaru for this. He's upset and hurt and angry. He's spent so long trying to help Ritsu. Loving him. But he let Ritsu go, so he could be happy. Then Arika—one of the reasons he was so jaded—came back. He knows that she's sick. When she dies, it will crush Ritsu. Ishikaru is angry because if she had stayed away, Ritsu could have stayed happy. He hates her, but will protect her to save Ritsu the grief. They were once as close as brother and sister, but after she said those things on the night she was taken away…**

**Yeah.**

**Sorry if it sucks! I am very tired!**

**HEY! You guys, feel free to PM me and chat! I love talking to you guys! We could be great friends! Don't be shy! I promise not to bite… much… just kidding!**

**Question(s) of the day:**

**Do you watch Sherlock BBC?**

**What do you think about Ishikaru?**

**Please Review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Kyaaa~! OH MY GOSH! You guys are sooo sweet to me! I mean, seriously! I don't deserve such loyal fans! I am all warm and fuzzy inside! I actually got really, really sick yesterday and the day before. I threw up a lot, and missed one day of school… ack! **

**CHAPTER 30! LONGEST FIC I HAVE EVER DONE!**

**I am sorry about the sadness! I tend to make my OC characters very… tragic, I suppose.**

**The reviews were so nice! I read a few, but then I passed out for a bit! I hope I post this today (Thursday) or more likely, Friday.**

**I remembered what the surprise was!**

**This is probably going to be an all Masamune/Ritsu scene.**

**I AM SO SORRY! I THOUGHT I POSTED THIS WEEKS AGO!**

**Disclaimer!**

They would have been back to the hotel faster, but Ritsu insisted that they stop at this nice little candy shop. Compared to the outside streets, it was not crowded at all. _Which is probably due to it almost being closing time_… Masamune thought. He had no idea what had suddenly possessed his lover into wanting sweets so suddenly. Masamune glanced around the shop. In a strange way, it reminded him of Emerald's office back in Japan. It had light blue walls that were patched with painted-on pink clouds, stuffed animals lining the walls on shelves, and many varieties of candies in each row. There was only one person behind the register, a boy, maybe sixteen or so. He had brown hair and eyes, matching the chocolate that surrounded him. He smiled brightly at them. His nametag read 'Ricky.'

"Hi," Ricky greeted them. "What brings you to my shop?"

Masamune cocked his head to the side, wondering the same thing. Ritsu smiled brightly at them both and pointed to the window display.

"I saw the caramel apples you had. It's been forever since I had one! Usually they're only sold in the fall. I was going to ask if you had a four-pack." Ricky nodded and walked to the back of the shop, pointing to the caramel apple section.

"We have regular, chocolate, sprinkled, candy-coated, and mini versions of all of those because these apples are huge."

"Um…. Could I have a variety pack, please?"

"Certainly, sir," Ricky said, grabbing the box. He smiled at them and walked back to his spot behind the counter. "Will that be all for you today?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Your total is $4.99."

Ritsu reached into his wallet and pulled the money out. Ricky took it and put it in the register before putting the box into a plastic bag. He also dropped two caramel apple flavored lollipops in as well.

"Um, I didn't ask for—"

"They're on the house." Ricky winked at them.

"Oh, um, thank you." Ritsu took the bag and walked over to Masamune. Masamune gave him a weird look.

"What was that about?"

"I have no idea. Just friendly, I guess. We should head back to the hotel now. I think it's going to get cold soon."

"Alright."

7777

The walk back was pleasant, though it did get a bit chilly. On the way, Ritsu pulled out one of the lollipops.

"Do you want to try one?"

"No. I don't really feel like eating _sweets_ right now." Masamune answered. Ritsu shrugged, not seeming to get what Masamune was implying.

Ritsu unwrapped the lollipop, putting the wrapper in a nearby trashcan. It didn't look like anything special, Masamune thought. It was kist a green-and-brown glob on a stick. Ritsu put it to his lips and licked almost timidly at first. Deeming it edible, he put it in his mouth. Masamune didn't realize he had been staring until Ritsu had turned to tell him that they were back at the hotel already.

_Surely he knows that he's teasing me!_ Masamune thought as he watched Ritsu swirl his tongue around the candy before sliding it back into his mouth.

"What?" Ritsu asked, annoyed. "You're staring at me again!"

"So?"

"You aren't even going to deny it?"

"Why should I? I can stare at you if I want…. Besides," He leaned close and whispered into Ritsu's ear. "I certainly enjoy the view."

"Shut up!" Ritsu blushed. He looked around, as if to make sure nobody had seen that embarrassing outburst. "You shouldn't say such things! It's weird!"

"It's not weird to compliment one's lover."

"I… shut up…."

"Mm… no." Masamune put his arm around Ritsu. He really enjoyed his closeness. No hidden motives. Ritsu grumbled something, but didn't shrug him off. "What was that—mmph."

He wished he had heard what Ritsu had said. Ritsu pressed their lips together in a short, but very sweet kiss. Masamune could taste the caramel apple-flavor. Masamune smiled when Ritsu pulled back.

"Now what did I do to deserve that? I might have to do it again…" Ritsu snorted.

"You… you're just being really sweet today." He paused, wrinkling his brow. "I don't really know how to say this, but… I'm really happy when I'm with you…" Masamune felt his heart sweel at Ritsu's words. Before he could comment, Ritsu continued. "I know I don't say it enough, but I'm getting better…. I love you, Masamune." He was stunned, to say the least.

"I love you too, Ritsu." He said finally, pulling Ritsu in for another sweet kiss. They were in the hotel lobby, but there weren't many people there, so they went unnoticed. He pulled back and smiled again, taking Ritsu's hand. "Which is why I have a surprise for you,"

"What? No, you don't have to—"

"Ritsu, shut up. I know I don't _have_ to. I want to. And so do you, I hope." Masamune said, stepping into the elevator.

"Now you're freaking me out…" The elkevator arrived on their floor and they walked inside.

"There's no need to be freaked out…. Just go sit in that chair by the window. I'll be right back," Masamune disappeared in the direction of their bedroom.

Ritsu did as he was asked, setting the bag he had on the table. He also threw away the stick of his now-gone lollipop away. He sat in the chair and looked nervously out the window, waiting for Masamune. When his lover returned, he gasped at what he saw in Masamune's hand.

"I-is that…"

"Yes,"

**Kyaaa! Hehe, yep, cliffy!**

**Anyways, I seriously meant to upload this forever ago.**

**Question of the day: Do any of you watch Supernatural? (With Dean, Sam, and Castiel…) I do, and I love it! I even made a comic! It's on my DA account, and on my tumblr.**

**My DA name is Silverclaw986**

**Please review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**KYAAAAAAAAAAA! I'M BAAAAAAAAACK! I am sooooooooooooooo sorry! I know I said I'd update more, and I really tried to! But I kept getting violently ill! It wasn't pretty! I think I'm better now. But I am going to be better with my time. I started new classes and junk. So I'll write when I have time!**

**SO MAN REVIEW! ALMOST 400! *dies* I can't believe you like my crappy stories! Oh my gosh! And the review from the anon, '**starlinev' was sooo sweet! If you have an account, message me!

**Haha, lots of people tried to guess what the surprise was!**

**Anyways, thank you guys so much for reading! I don't know how much longer this fic will be, but there will still be one more after it! Just to make sure you're still interested… The next one will be about their families… ;o)**

Ritsu was holding his breathe. Masamune watched him carefully, holding the papers in his hand, not saying anything. Finally, Ritsu found his voice again.

"That's the contract for our new apartment…" He said dumbly.

"Yes."

"We're really moving in together…"

"Yes."

"This is really happening…"

"Ye—" Ritsu cut him off by suddenly embracing him hard.

"I can't believe this!" he exclaimed. He was blushing, but he was also smiling. "I mean, I know we talked about it and were planning on it, but I can't believe it's actually happening!" Masamune held him close.

"Are you happy?" He questioned.

"Yes—but a little nervous. Which is stupid because I should be used to sleeping with you…"

"It's okay to be nervous." He assured Ritsu. "As long as you don't back out on me," He added.

"I won't." Ritsu promised. He leaned up to kiss Masamune's mouth. "I love you."

"I love you too." He replied. "I'm glad you like my surprise. I had Arika put our names in. It's officially our apartment now. She volunteered to help pack some of your things while we're here."

"Ah. That's good, I guess. As long as she doesn't touch anything in my kitchen."

"I don't think she will. But I can think of something _I_ want to _touch."_ He grinned at Ritsu's understanding blush. Ritsu just nodded and kissed him again. "I can't believe I haven't touched you in days," he sighs. Ritsu shrugged and looked away.

"We were busy…"

"But we aren't right now." Masamune pointed out. He had a predatory look in his eyes. "I have you all to myself."

"W-well, yes—mmph!" Masamune cut him off with a passionate kiss. He ran his fingers through Ritsu's hair. Ritsu quickly kissed back, taking the papers from Masamune's hand and setting them safely out of the way

"I want you. _Now."_ Masamune half-growled. Ritsu met his eyes, feeling his heart swell. Masamune and he were going to move in together. Masamune wanted him.

"I'm right here," He said simply. Masamune took that as in invitation to strip him where he stood. Ritsu let his shirt be taken and felt lips press against his neck.

"I'm going to take you out to celebrate properly tomorrow. And once we get back home," He breathed against Ritsu's neck. "But for now, this will have to do."

"It's more than enough. You don't have to—"

"Enough with that. I know I don't have to. But I want to. I love you, and I'm damn happy right now. So I want to take you out." Ritsu chuckled and kissed Masamune softly.

"O-okay…" Masamune took off his own shirt and threw it somewhere. Then he fumbled with his belt. Ritsu was following suit, but suddenly realized they were in the front room. "B-bedroom," He gasped when Masamune paused to bite down on his neck a little bit.

"No."

"But Masamune! We're in the front room! There's a large window and the door is right there!" he pointed.

"So?"

"I don't want anyone to see us—"

"Doesn't matter to me." Masmune stated. But he scooped Ritsu up anyways and carried him to the bedroom. The second he had the door shut, he was kissing Ritsu. Hard. Ritsu kissed back, happily. At least Masamune had listened to him this time…

Masamune sat him on the bed, not breaking their kiss. If anything, it intensified. He pushed Ritsu back onto the pillows and rubbed their still clothed erections together. Ritsu moaned. He wouldn't admit it, but he had missed this. Not just the sex, but Masamune. He knew Masamune did, but he decided he wanted to ask again. In French. He pulled back just a little.

"Est-ce que tu m'aimes?" Masamune stared at him for a moment before scoffing.

"Tu es l'amour de ma vie. " Ritsu's eyes got wide.

"Really?"

"Of course you are the love of my life. I'll say it in every language I know. I love you. Je t'aime. I—"

"That's enough. I believe you." He whispered. Masamune kissed his throat.

"No more doubts?"

"No more doubts." Ritsu agreed. Masamune nuzzled his neck, pressing soft kisses as he did so.

He pulled Ritsu's undone pants down and pulled his boxers off. He tossed them off the bed so they wouldn't get in the way. He admired the view for a second before discarding his own pants and boxers. He pulled Ritsu into a deep kiss, exploring his mouth as if he'd never done it before. They had kissed in the last few days, but not like this. Ritsu kissed back just as eagerly. He had his arms wrapped around Masamune tight and had his fingers twined in Masamune's hair. Masamune had his fingers twined in Ritsu's hair as well.

Masamune made a growl of approval as their erections rubbed together.

"You missed this too, didn't you?"

"…" Ritsu blushed deeply, but nodded. Masamune just wanted to take him then and there, but he wouldn't risk hurting Ritsu. He knew this round was just about the sex and that the next one would be much more tender. He kissed Ritsu's lips once more before grabbing the bottle of lubricant. When he turned back around, Ritsu already had his legs spread. Masamune licked his lips and got in between his legs again.

"Beautiful," Masamune breathed at the sight. Ritsu shivered under his gaze. He spread some lubricant onto his fingers and slowly inserted them one at a time. Ritsu moaned and writhed. It was a little painful, but the pain subsided and turned to pleasure.

"I-I'm ready…"

Masamune nodded and slathered himself with lube. He pushed in slowly at first, but was a little rough. Ritsu cried out and Masamune paused until Ritsu nodded at him, giving him the okay to move. He started slowly, but picked up speed. He moved Ritsu's legs over his shoulders and and began to pound into him.

"A-ah! Masamune! Mmngh…" Ritsu clenched his eyes shut. Masamune pressed kisses to his chest, making him flush even more. "Nngh…. M-Masamune, p-please!"

Masamune began to pump Ritsu vigorously, making him moan loudly. Ritsu began bucking his hips into the touch. Masamune could feel him start to clench. He was close...

"Cum for me, Ritsu," he urged, biting Ritsu's shoulder lightly.

"A-ahh! I-I'm gonna cum!" He cried.

"Yes," Masamune murmured. "I'm close too."

After a few thrusts, Ritsu came with a sharp cry of Masamune's name. Masamune came as well, spilling deep inside of Ritsu. He stayed there for a long moment, kissing Ritsu deeply. Then he pulled out and lay beside his lover, wrapping him in his arms.

They were so happy in that moment. No annoying phone calls, no work, and no interruptions.

**Sorry! I wanted to make it longer, but…**

**Surprised?**

**Sorry if it sucks. I haven't written in a while**

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	32. Chapter 32

**OVER 400 REVIEWS! I'M DYING!**

**Yes, I know it's been a very, very long time, and I apologize! I was sick for a long time with something really bad, and the doctor never really figured it out.**

**I am a little foggy on where I was going with this, so please bear with me.**

**Love you all!**

Ritsu woke up still in Masamune's arms. He smiled and nuzzled a bit closer. Masamune opened his eyes as well and kissed the top of Ritsu's head. "We have to go into work soon." Masamune murmured.

"I know," Ritsu sighed. But they continued to lay there for a bit. "I wonder how Arika and the others are…" He said thoughtfully.

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Ari spent the rest of the time staring at her phone. This time, she knew the sick feeling in her stomach wasn't from her illness. It was because she knew she should feel bad. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she sighed and closed her eyes. She picked up the phone and opened them so she could scroll through her contacts and find a certain number she had been avoiding. Kano.

It barely rang once before he picked up.

"Ari?" he said, relief evident in his voice. Which made it hurt even worse.

"Hi…" she mumbled. Once he heard her speak, he immediately started in on interrogating her.

"Why have you been ignoring me? What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," She paused. If she said 'it's not you, it's me,' that would seriously be the only way to make it any cornier. "I just needed a little time."

"Time? For what?" He didn't sound angry anymore. Just tired.

"I just… it's hard," she took a deep breath. "And I shouldn't have said yes in the first place—"

"Stop," he growled. "Stop that. You always think things through on your own. But it's stupid. If anyone is at fault, it's me. You agreed to date me, and you know I'm sick. If I want to date you, I don't care if you're sick. I would go through it with you if you let me!" he insisted.

"Kano, you don't know what you're saying," she breathed

"I do, actually." Kano argued. "And I mean it."

"But why?"

"I think you know why."

"I-I don't…"

"I love you."

"…" She was speechless. "I don't know what to say," she said dumbly. She wanted to say it back, but the phone call was supposed to end things, not bind them together more!

"Then don't say anything," he murmured back. "I can wait. But please don't just say goodbye," he pled. She bit her lip. How could she say no when all she wanted to do was say 'I love you?'

"Okay," she whispered.

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Actually getting out of bed proved harder than it should have. The first time, Masamune pulled Ritsu back down for a good morning kiss, and then Ritsu somehow ended up right back where he started; in Masamune's arms.

"Takano-san," he grumbled, using Masamune's work title. "We need to get up."

"I know that. But I'm comfortable right here," he chuckled and kissed Ritsu's shoulder.

"Oh no! None of that, Takano-san!" he squirmed in Masamune's grip, only making the older male chuckle. "Come on!" he huffed. "We need to get up!" he repeated.

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then let me go. You can be penalized if you want!"

"I'm not worried about losing my job," he said smugly. Ritsu smacked his arm.

"Well, then be worried that I won't let you sleep in the same bed as me if you make me late!"

Masamune finally got up

**Yeah, I am alive. And I swear this time I won't wait months to update**

**Sorry guys, and I know it's kind of a filler**

**Question of the Day: Do you remember the cartoon Atomic Betty?**


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